THE near 50 per cent rise in crime rates in Barrow last month can be attributed to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, says Cumbria Police.

According to recently published crime figures available on Police.UK, last month there were 516 crimes reported in Barrow last month, compared to 347 in January last year, which represents a rise of 48 per cent.

A breakdown of these numbers reveals that there were 62 reports of arson and criminal damage in Barrow, which is a 44 per cent rise from the previous year in which there were 43 incidents.

There was also a 74 per cent increase in the number of public order offences in January compared to last year, rising from 31 in 2021 to 54 in 2022.

The number of sexual offences also saw an 81 per cent rise from 11 reports in January 2021 to 20 reports in 2022.

Figures revealed that incidents of violence rose from 166 in 2021 to 282 in 2022 – an increase of 69 per cent.

However, the number of drug offences has fallen 30 per cent, from 20 in January 2021 to 14 in January 2022.

There was also a 13 per cent decrease in the number of burglaries reported in Barrow last month compared to the year before.

Superintendent Matt Pearman attributes the recorded rise in crime levels last month, compared to last year, to the 'UK being under tighter Covid-19 restrictions' in January 2021, which led to a reduction in some areas of crime.

He added that last month's figures for overall crime 'still remains close' to the three-year average.

He said: “During the same period last year the UK was under tighter Covid-19 restrictions and, during these periods of greater restrictions, we did see a reduction in some areas of crime.

“As restrictions eased demand has increased, as you may expect, with people no longer spending as much of their time at home, which is reflected in these figures.

“For a wider picture, as we can see from the results, the figure for overall crime still remains close to the three-year average."

Supt Pearman said the increase in recorded sexual offences was seen nationally, and can be attributed to a number of factors.

He said: “The increase in recorded sexual offences is seen nationally, as well as in Barrow and can be attributed to many factors, including that the public are now becoming more confident in reporting incidents to police.

“Sexual offences include a range of different offences of differing severity, with some non-recent offences included.

“We take reports of sexual offences very seriously and work closely with partners to ensure victims have access to the right support and that offenders are held accountable for their crimes.

“We regularly run campaigns in the media and on our online platforms that raise awareness and encourage the reporting of abuse and sexual offences.

“To protect people, we have also provided bespoke training to officers on night shifts in towns. The training provides officers with identifying key markers for potential perpetrators targeting vulnerable people coming out of venues of an evening.

“Despite the increase in reporting, we do believe that this area of crime is still under reported. No one should suffer in silence.

“We would urge anyone who has suffered a sexual offence to report it. You will be taken seriously and you will be supported through any criminal investigation.”