COVENTRY has seen an alarming 12 per cent rise in crime in just a year.
Violent crime rose by 10 per cent, and robbery by a staggering 74 per cent.
Burglary is up by 21 per cent, and sexual offences rose by 26 per cent.
The West Midlands saw a 13 per cent increase in total crime, the same figure as the rise across the country.
Sexual offences in the West Midlands rose by a third and the region is also the second worst in the country for knife crime with nearly 3,000 offences recorded.
The annual figures for 2017/18, which ended in March, were released today by the Office for National Statistics.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said: “Crime has been consistently rising for some time, further emphasising why the government need to put more resources into policing.
“In response I am doing all I can to drive efficiencies. I am cutting down on bureaucracy and giving officers the technology to do their job on the move, so they don’t have to come back to a police building unnecessarily to fill in forms.
“The efficiencies don’t make up for the huge cuts we have faced to our budgets.
“We have lost over £145 million since 2010, meaning we now have over 2,000 fewer officers.
“These latest statistics also highlight the short-sighted approach of the government by continuing to apply real-terms cuts to police forces’ funding at a time when the pressures on policing are increasing.
“This is hampering the ability of the police to keep people safe.
“Despite the challenges faced, we are determined to get on with the job and will do all we can to protect people, prevent crime and bring offenders to justice.”
