REPORTS of anti-social behaviour in Gwent have increased dramatically during lockdown, data reveals.

In April, when Wales was in the grip of a strict lockdown, there were 5,105 incidents of anti-social behaviour reported to Gwent Police, according to figures from Police.UK.

A month before, there were 1,313 reported incidents.

The steep increase in reported incidents during lockdown represents a 288 per cent rise.

A spokesman for Gwent Police confirmed that the force had seen a “change in demand” during the health crisis.

“Our force control room experienced periods of high call volume in April, peaking at 1,543 calls at the busiest point in the month on Saturday 11 April,” he said.

At that point, Wales was nearly three weeks into lockdown.

In Newport – which once had the highest number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 in Wales – anti-social behaviour rose 308 per cent on the month before.

There were 1802 incidents reported in April compared to 441 in March.

But the biggest rise was seen in Caerphilly, where a jump from 317 to 1,340 represented a 322 per cent increase.

A similar pattern played out across the rest of Gwent, with Torfaen seeing a 287 per cent rise (215 incidents rising to 287); Monmouthshire experiencing an increase of 283 per cent (131 incidents rising to 502) and Blaenau Gwent seeing a 208 per cent increase (199 incidents rising to 614).

Gwent Police said that the rise in reports “does not always correlate to an increase in crime”.

The spokesman added: “Some of these incidents called into our force control room would not have required attendance from an officer.

“Throughout this health crisis, we have asked the public to think before they dial, as people have called 101 and 999 to report issues that do not warrant an emergency, or even a police response.”

However, they added that they still “want to the public to contact us if there is a matter which is causing them concern or something which may require the involvement of the police”.

“We would always urge all people who are victims of crime – for example those affected by domestic abuse, child abuse or hate crimes – to reach out to us. Suffering in silence is never the answer.”