MORE criminal damage and arson offences were recorded in Tendring last year, despite a drop in recorded crime.

Essex Police recorded 1,523 incidents of criminal damage and arson in Tendring in the 12 months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 5 per cent compared to the previous year.

At 10.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 8.8.

Billy Gazard, from the ONS centre for crime and justice, said the drop in crime over the year could mainly be put down to changes during the coronavirus lockdown, but said police recording of drug offences “increased sharply throughout the April to June period, reflecting proactive police activity as overall crime levels reduced”.

“There are indications that crime levels in June were moving back towards pre-lockdown levels,” he added.

The total number of offences in Tendring fell by 2 per cent, with police recording 13,857 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 94.5 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 84.7.

Other crimes recorded in Tendring included:

  • 408 sexual offences, a decrease of 2 per cent
  • 6,131 violent offences, a rise of 2 per cent
  • 3,277 incidents of theft, down 17 per cent
  • 492 drug offences, up 24 per cent
  • 135 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 6 per cent
  • 1,443 public order offences, up 10 per cent

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "Although crime fell during the pandemic the pressure on the police remained.

"Policing had to adapt to a situation unlike anything we had experienced before and continues to do so even as the national lockdown was lifted and crime returned to pre-lockdown levels.

"That pressure has increased with local lockdowns being rolled out and because of the additional challenges they bring to policing."