Norfolk’s chief constable Paul Sanford welcomes fall in county crime figures

Crime in Norfolk has fallen by more than 11 per cent, according to the latest data.

The figures, released by the Office of National Statistic (ONS), showed that 59,471 crimes were recorded across the county between April 2023 and March 2024, compared to 67,240 in the previous 12 months.

The figures included a continued reduction in stalking and harassment, public order, drug offences, burglary, vehicle theft and sexual offences.

Norfolk’s chief constable Paul Sanford said: “These results show there were 7,769 fewer crimes recorded; that is fewer people being the victim of crime in our county, which is testament to the hard work put in by officers.”

The statistics did show, however, increases in robbery, weapons possession and knife crime, with the largest being shoplifting, which rose by 26.3 per cent.

Mr Sanford added: “I know the slight rise in weapons and knife offences will be concerning to some people, however, a proportion of these will be a direct result of pro-active, targeted activity by officers in tackling violent crime.

“Shoplifting has, again, seen the biggest increase and it is something officers are prioritising in Norfolk, solving 46 per cent of cases and getting justice.

“We know statistics only show part of the picture, but these are encouraging figures and show that Norfolk remains a safe place to live.”