Crime has risen over the last year in East Hampshire, official police records reveal.
Hampshire Constabulary recorded 6,687 offences in East Hampshire in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That was an increase of 29% compared to the previous year, when there were 5,179.
However, at 54.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.
Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 267 were sexual offences – an increase of 40% from the year before.
Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 2,084 to 2,756 over this period.
One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 55%, from 686 incidents to 1,064.
And theft offences rose by 52%, with 1,808 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.
At 14.6 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.
Crimes recorded in East Hampshire included:
- 267 sexual offences, a rise of 40%
- 2,756 violent offences, a rise of 32%
- 708 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 5%
- 170 drug offences, down 35%
- 60 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, a decrease of 18
- 814 public order offences, up 36%
- 1,808 theft offences, a rise of 52%
- 1,064 stalking and harassment offences, up 55%