According to new figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Devon and Cornwall have the third lowest crime rate in the country.

The crime figures for the period between January 2021 and December 2021 indicate a 5.9 per cent increase in recorded crime. Police say this is likely to be due to crime returning to pre Covid-19 levels and follows national trends.

Sexual offences have risen by 20.5 per cent across both Devon and Cornwall and nationally. Policing saw increases in rape and sexual offences starting in March 2021.

This coincided with the ending of lockdown and an increased focus on violence against women and girls – factors that have driven increased confidence to report sexual offending among victims in Devon and Cornwall.

All burglary offences have seen a decrease of 15 per cent, falling during the lockdowns and not rising back to their former levels.

The pandemic - and particularly during lockdown periods - reduced opportunities for offending through increased natural surveillance and reduced population mobility. The effect persists even after all lockdown restrictions have been removed.

Public order offences have risen 15.5 per cent and the force is in third place nationally. The increase in public order offending in Devon and Cornwall also reflects national trends.

There are a number of issues that have increased protests nationally over the last two years including Brexit, Covid-19 and Covid-19 restrictions, fuel availability and price, environmental issues and politics.

Locally there were also more protests during the G7 summit last year.

There has also been a decrease of drug offences by 7.4 per cent.

Drugs offences include drugs possession and trafficking offences.

The decrease is these offences is also likely due to the impact of our police officers pro-actively tackling drugs-related crime.

Deputy Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “Devon and Cornwall continue to be one of the safest places in the country and has lower than national average crime rates per 1000 population.

"This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our officers, staff, and volunteers.

“The latest crime statistics reflect how our region is adjusting to life post lockdown and the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

"The increase in overall crime is likely due to a return to pre Covid-19 levels of crime being reported in many offence types. This change is reflected nationally across all forces.

“Some aspects of crime have not returned to their pre Covid-19 levels in Devon and Cornwall.

"Historically we have had relatively low levels of acquisitive crimes including burglary and fraud. Unlike many other force areas, we haven’t seen these return to pre Covid-19 levels.

"As such we have the lowest levels of crime for a number of acquisitive crime types.

"Given the current financial climate this is an area we will continue to monitor closely as we know that austerity can be a driver for rises in acquisitive crimes.

“These crime figures provide us with an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the change in crime that contribute to our demand.

"The figures also highlight to us the areas where we can do better and show us where to best target our resources to combat particular types of crime going forward.”