THE number of violent crimes in Gwent has risen 15 per cent over the last year, new figures show.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), police in the UK recorded the largest annual rise in crime in a decade with nearly five million offences over the last year to March this year.

The number of crimes in England and Wales recorded by the police rose 10 per cent on the same period in 2015/16.

In Gwent, violence against the person soared 15 per cent from March 2016 to March 2017, and violence with injury rose by nine per cent.

However, sexual offences decreased by three per cent when compared with last year’s figures.

Overall, the total recorded crime (excluding fraud) in Gwent rose nine percent – with 3,420 more crimes being recorded from March 2016 to March 2017.

Police in the UK recorded 458,021 more offences in the 12-month period to March compared with the previous year, which the ONS said was driven by an increase in violence.

John Flatley, head of crime statistics for the ONS, said: “The latest figures show the largest annual rise in crimes recorded by the police in a decade.

“While ongoing improvements to recording practices are driving this volume rise, we believe actual increases in crime are also a factor in a number of categories.”

Commenting on the latest figures, the police and crime commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, said: “As highlighted by the Office for National Statistics, a number of factors could be contributing to the increase in recorded crime such as improvements in recording processes and practices. This is certainly an area that Gwent Police has championed in recent years.

Although we did see a nine per cent increase in recorded crime in Gwent during this period, the figure is still below the national average for England and Wales and is comparable with other Welsh Forces.

“I have no doubt that one of the biggest challenges facing the police service in England and Wales is cybercrime.

“More than 50 per cent of crime recorded now has an online element and I am confident that this has played a contributing factor in the increase.

“It is clear from the statistics issued however that there are some genuine increases in some crime types and you can rest assured that I will be discussing these emerging trends with the acting chief constable of Gwent Police, Julian Williams, at the earliest possible opportunity.

“I will be working alongside him to monitor these trends and we will be looking at any factors driving any changes so we can continue to ensure that Gwent is a safe place to live and work.”