9 Crime

Issues and Priorities

  • In 2006/07 the South West had the second lowest regional rate of recorded crime in England and Wales. Between 2005/06 and 2006/07, recorded crime in the region increased by 1%, but the British Crime Survey found no significant changes in the rates of household and personal crime (see Introduction below for an explanation of the differences between these methodologies).
  • All but one of the police forces in the region had rates of recorded crime that were below the England and Wales average. The exception is Avon and Somerset, which is the highest crime police force area in the region, and had recorded crime rates higher than the England and Wales average for violence against the person, offences against vehicles, other theft offences, and fraud and forgery, the same rates as England and Wales for sexual offences, burglary, criminal damage, and drug offences, and a lower rate than the England and Wales average for robbery.
  • There are significant distinctions in crime rates between urban and rural areas of the region. Some 39% of the region's population live in urban areas 1 where 53% or all recorded crime is recorded. The recorded crime rate for urban areas is however considerably higher than for rural ones. Recorded crime rates are highest in the major urban centres of Bristol and Gloucester.
  • The proportion of people in the South West region who perceive a very or fairly big problem with people using or dealing drugs and anti-social behaviour is significantly lower than the England and Wales average. Despite this perception however, BCS interviews in 2006/07 show those living in the South West reported levels of any illicit drug use that were higher than the total figure for England and Wales.
  • All the police force areas in the South West, except Wiltshire, had perceptions of anti-social behaviour that were significantly lower than that in England and Wales.
  • Confidence in the local police in the South West region overall was similar to the England and Wales average. Across the police force areas, confidence in the police was higher in Dorset compared with the national average.