CRIME has risen over the last year in Gwynedd, official police records reveal.

North Wales Police recorded 10,216 offences in Gwynedd in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 25 per cent compared to the previous year, when there were 8,160.

However, at 81.6 crimes per 1,000 people, that was 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, 427 were sexual offences – an increase of 30 per cent from the year before.

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Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 3,667 to 4,800 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 38 per cent, from 784 incidents to 1,082.

And theft offences rose by 15 per cent, with 1,622 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 13.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Gwynedd included:

  • 427 sexual offences, a rise of 30%
  • 4,800 violent offences, a rise of 31%
  • 1,174 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 9%
  • 285 drug offences, down 7%
  • 38 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, a decrease of 15
  • 1,650 public order offences, up 48%
  • 1,622 theft offences, a rise of 15%
  • 1,983 stalking and harassment offences, up 28%