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

There were 19,710 reported offences during 2019, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

That's up by one per cent on the previous year, when 19,455 incidents were recorded.

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That means there is a crime for at least one in every 10 residents in Newport - well above the England and Wales average.

Possession of weapons offences in Newport rose by 17 to 98 incidents. These include knives, hand guns and even corrosive acid.

There were 731 residential burglaries reported in 2019, down by three per cent compared to the previous year.

There have been two homicides, which are murders or manslaughters.

Across England and Wales, the number of recorded homicides fell by eight per cent, to 670.

In Newport, theft, one of the most high volume crimes, slightly decreased by one per cent. Drugs related offences dropped by 10 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: "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 Newport, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has gone up, from 2,916 incidents in 2018, to 3,013 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 Newport, there were 472 incidents recorded last year, a 2% rise on the previous year, when 461 crimes were reported.

There were also 2,075 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.

The Police Federation of England and Wales was less optimistic about the national picture, citing a seven per cent increase in knife crime as evidence that a long-term funding deal was needed for police.

John Apter, chair of the PFEW, said: "It is a tragedy that knife crime continues to spiral as my colleagues are stretched to their limits, and with fewer officers on patrol it comes as no surprise that street crime such as robbery has increased.

“The fact that some statistics have fallen despite this is a testament to the hard work and dedication of officers across the country.”