CRIME has increased year-on-year in Monmouthshire, according to the latest police figures.

There were 5,913 reported offences during 2019, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

That's up by four per cent on the previous year, when 5,695 incidents were recorded. That means there was a rate of 63 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2019, below the England and Wales average of 89.

MORE NEWS:

Possession of weapons offences in Monmouthshire rose by eight to 28 incidents. These include knives, hand guns and even corrosive acid.

There were 314 residential burglaries reported in 2019, up by 21 per cent compared to the previous year.

There have been no homicides, which are murders or manslaughters.

In Monmouthshire, theft, one of the most high volume crimes, decreased by seven per cent. Drugs related offences rose by give per cent.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said there had been a substantial decrease in certain crimes such as residential burglaries and shoplifting since the coronavirus lockdown was enforced, but recognised there may be an increase in other forms of crime like domestic abuse.

NPCC lead for crime, Chief Constable Andy Cooke, said: "While it is highly unlikely that you will be a victim of violent crime, tackling violence continues to be a police priority and the use of tactics such as targeted stop and search has led to an increase in the recording of knife and blade possession offences by 11 per cent during this period.

"We are clearly in a very different place since the coronavirus outbreak however, with provisional data from police forces showing a reduction in crime by around 28 per cent compared to the same period in 2019."

Criminal damage in Monmouthshire, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has gone down, from 754 incidents in 2018, to 701 in the latest figures.

While violence with injury, which includes assault, GBH and wounding, has risen, this could be due to improved police recording.

Similarly sexual offences are hard to judge as many more victims are now coming forward due to a series of high profile cases.

In Monmouthshire, there were 215 incidents recorded last year, an 11 per cent rise on the previous year, when 194 crimes were reported.

There were also 685 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.