Crime figures show fall

Burglary and knife crime both dropped by ten per cent over the last 12 months, and gun crime is down by more than a third.

But drug crime is up by nine per cent—in line with the South Yorkshire average—with 60 more incidents than in the previous year.

Police chiefs claimed this was the result of it being high on the priority list.

Chf Con Meredydd Hughes said: “The increase in drug-related crime reflects the Force's sustained and proactive work to tackle these offences over the past year.   

“Members of the public have made drug offences a priority for South Yorkshire Police, and numerous operations have taken place across the county targeting offenders.”

Rotherham’s District Commander, temporary Chf Supt Richard Tweed, welcomed the statistics, which cover the 2009/10 financial year. In total, there were 2,987 fewer victims of crime.

There were 22 gun-related crime and 68 knife offences.

Chf Supt Richard Tweed said: “These figures are great news for Rotherham residents but more importantly, we want to continue to ensure that everyone who lives in the borough feels that their local area is a safe place.”

Across South Yorkshire as a whole, there were reductions in all categories of crime except drugs and sexual offences, which were up two per cent to 914 incidents.