Police bosses say the Isle of Wight is still a safe place to live, despite figures that show murder, drug and alcohol related violence, serious sexual assaults and crimes against children have all risen dramatically across the Island.
Although the total number of crimes recorded remains below the national rate — 70 crimes per 1,000, compared to 75 nationally — a report published by the Island’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has revealed a large surge in violent crime across the Island.
Priorities for coming year
The CSP has identified several areas for priority over the coming year, including tackling youth-on-youth violence, domestic abuse and road safety.
The report said the key thread was protecting the vulnerable, including children.
Isle of Wight district commander, Supt. Sarah Jackson said part of the rise was due to the change in recording standards.
She said:
“Some incidents that would have previously been recorded as Anti-Social Behaviour, are now being recorded as crimes such as assaults or public order. An example of this would be a fight between two parties previously would have been recorded as one crime. In reality there are potentially two victims in this set of circumstances, therefore this could now be recorded as more than one offence, even though it relates to a single incident. The new crime recording practices have been introduced to focus on victims and ensure that they are treated with the respect they deserve.”
Supt Jackson said although drug related violence has risen, the figures remain lower than the mainland:
“I am pleased that our communities are confident to come forward and report concerns they have relating to drug-related activity, which plays a part in the visible increase.”
Four murders
According to data collected between April 2016 and March 2017, drug related violence has risen by 2,367 per cent, with 101 recorded incidents — up from just three incidents the previous year.
There were also four murder or manslaughter cases, 587 incidents of alcohol-related public violence, 12 gun crimes and 144 knife crimes.
Rise in domestic abuse reports
Incidents of domestic violence have also risen to 1,428 recorded offences, up by 38 per cent. A third were repeat offences, with 34 per cent of the victims men.
On average, a victim will sustain around 50 incidents of abuse before reporting it to the police. July, August and December were the peak months for domestic crimes.
Children in need above national average
Crimes against children, which includes violent injury and rape, has seen an increase of 45 per cent, with 277 recorded incidents. This mirrors a trend in Portsmouth and Southampton, and a quarter of crimes were over a year old when reported.
The Island’s children in need, child protection and looked after children rates continue to be at above national average. Children in Years 6, 8 and 10 reported almost half had experienced bullying at Island schools.
The Island’s rate of children killed or seriously injured on the roads is significantly higher than comparative areas, at 33.2 per 100,000.
Other crimes
Just under a quarter of all violent crime involved alcohol, with 17 per cent taking place at night.
Almost 15 per cent of Islanders reported feeling unsafe in their community.
Hate crime on the Island has risen to 101 incidents, with over half related to race, and a quarter to sexual orientation.
Missing persons occurrences has decreased on the Island, in addition to theft and car key burglaries.
Supt Jackson said:
“The Community Safety Partnership is proud to say that the Island is still a safe place to live and this is supported by the recent CSP survey of residents. I look forward to working alongside other agencies to address the priorities the Partnership has set for the coming year.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some additions by OnTheWight. Ed
