Crime up by 9 per cent in 2019

The Office of National Statistics' bulletin for crime shows there were 47,929 crimes in North Yorkshire in 2019, giving it a crime rate of 58.1 per 1,000 of the population.

A force spokesperson said this was the lowest nationally, and was significantly lower than the average of 89 per 1,000 across England and Wales.

The figures show that violence with injury has increased by14 per cent, stalking and harassment by 39 per cent and sexual offences by 6 per cent. Public order offences also increased by 36 per cent.

However, criminal damage and arson decreased by 3 per cent, bicycle theft by 9 per cent and vehicle offences by 7 per cent.

Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “These figures show that North Yorkshire Police continues to be the safest place in the country per 1,000 of the population, despite the snapshot showing a 9 per cent rise in recorded offences in comparison to the same period the year before.

“Even with our national position, we are not complacent, and a top priority for the force is ensuring victims continue to feel confident about reporting offences to us.

"As part of this, our piece of work to improve how we record crime, and also detect and investigate offences is ongoing as this naturally influences the county’s crime levels.

“Maintaining our position as the safest place in the country is testament not only to the professionalism and dedication of the teams of people from North Yorkshire Police and our local authority and community partners, but also our communities who provide so much support to their local policing teams.

“There is no doubt that our collective strength, passion and pride we have for our area is a key factor in this high level of performance and my thanks go to each and every officer, staff member, volunteer and partner whose role is vital in helping us protect people.

"We are very proud to serve North Yorkshire and will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe and secure.”