This week’s crime statistics show that recorded crime has gone up by 4 per cent in Wales, violent crime has gone up by 22 per cent and sexual assault has gone up by 24 per cent.
Nia Griffith MP, Shadow Welsh Secretary, responding to the latest quarterly crime statistics from the ONS, said:
“In Wales, recorded crime has gone up by 4 per cent, violent crime has gone up by 22 per cent and sexual assault has gone up by 24 per cent. To make matters worse, Welsh police forces have already lost over 600 police officers in the past five years with even more set to go under Tory plans to cut funding further.
“Now is not the time to cut police officers from our already depleted forces, who are facing increasingly complex demands.
“Police chiefs have warned that the Tories extreme cuts planned in the Spending Review will cost 22,000 police officers across the UK. By failing to heed the warning signals, the Tories are taking a reckless gamble with public safety and security.”
Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said:
“These figures may give the public false reassurance and do not tell the full story. Police recorded crime is rising with the biggest increases coming in some of the most serious areas. There has been a major increase in sexual offences and significant increases in violence and knife possession.
“Today’s figures fail to include online crime. Crime has changed and moved online in recent years but the official figures have still not caught up with that. The ONS has estimated there have been 5.1 million incidents of fraud and when they are added in in the next survey, the picture will look very different indeed.
“If the public had the true picture about crime in England and Wales, they would be up in arms about plans in the Tory Government Spending Review to cut our police services back to the bone.”