Suffolk remains in top three safest counties

Suffolk remains in the top three counties in England and Wales where people are least likely to be victims of crime, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The total recorded crime covering the 12 months to the end of September 2024 show that there were 58.7 crimes per 1000 people*, a decrease of 5.1% compared to the previous 12 months. Nationally, there was a reduction in crime of 2.7% for England and Wales.

The figures saw drops in a variety of crime types including knife crime (26.2%), robbery (17.6%), drug offences (-13.1%), public order, offences relating to violence, stalking and harassment, possession of weapons, criminal damage and vehicle crime, compared to the previous 12-month period.

Based on the ONS figures, Suffolk Constabulary is ranked third for the lowest levels of recorded crime in the country. The latest figures show continued improvement. Just over four years ago, Suffolk was in 13th position in terms of its crime levels.

Deputy Chief Constable Rob Jones said (pictured below): “We must never forget the personal distress, upset and trauma that victims of crime will be experiencing. If you have been the victim of crime my sympathies are with you and we remain determined to endeavour to give all victims a high level of service.

“That said, these figures do continue to demonstrate how we are working to keep the people of Suffolk safe and to solve crime and catch criminals.
“We have a hugely dedicated and committed workforce with our officers and staff, and we also need to acknowledge all the amazing support and assistance we receive from the public which is absolutely vital.

“Our new operating model, launched a year ago, is based on the principal of officers being where people need them to be, when they are needed the most. The strengthened engagement allows us to identify the crime and anti-social behaviour issues that matter most to the public and give us opportunities for targeted problem solving alongside our partners.”

Shoplifting, burglary and non-residential burglary did see rises on the ONS figures.

DCC Jones added: “We remain mindful of the increase in shoplifting offences and retail crime generally and the detrimental impact it has as it can ultimately threaten the future of the business affected.

“We continue to work to tackle shoplifting using preventative powers such the Anti-Social Behaviour Act to tackle persistent offenders, use of Community Protection Notices and Criminal Behaviour Orders. Our Design Out Crime Officers also provide crime prevention advice to many of the shops and business networks in our town centres regarding what they can do to reduce theft and burglary.

“It is only through a collective effort will we succeed and it is with that in mind we convened a retail forum geared at retailers, businesses and business improvement districts last autumn to explore how police can work collectively with other partners and increase understanding of the crimes that affect business.

“We continue to closely monitor our burglary figures as we are very conscious of the devastating impact being burgled has on victims, so it’s key our detectives have the right investigative skills.

“Our focus remains on the initial response including gathering forensics, house to house enquiries and searching through CCTV.

“All residential burglaries in the county are subject to review by Crime Scene Investigators to maximise the recovery of crucial physical evidence from crime scenes. Any evidence recovered, particularly fingerprints or DNA, is treated as urgent with results being made available to investigators as soon as possible.
“It is vital we do not take the public trust and confidence lightly and we continue to work diligently to the benefit of our communities.”

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “I am very proud to see that Suffolk remains one of the safest places in the country in which to live, work, travel and invest.

“Suffolk is a good force, but it is a small force covering a huge geographic area so I believe the Constabulary punches well above their weight in the national arena. I would like to thank officers, staff and volunteers for their unstinting commitment to keep us safe.”

*Knife crime data is published as crime per 100,000 population.

Suffolk’s national ranking for lowest levels of recorded crime:
Sept 2023 – Sept 2024 – 3rd
June 2023 – June 2024 – 3rd
March 2023 – March 2024 – 4th
Dec 2022 – Dec 2023 – 4th
Sept 2022 – Sept 2023 – 5th
June 2022 – June 2023 – 6th
Dec 2019 – Dec 2020 – ranked 13th

% change (Sept 23 to Sept 24):

Knife crime: -26.2%
Robbery: - 17.6%
Stalking and harassment: -17.1%
Public order: -13.9%
Drug offences: -13.1%
Sexual offences: -0.3%
Violence against the person: -7.1%
Vehicle offences: -1.3%
Criminal damage: -1.0%
Theft from person: -0.3%
Residential burglary: +0.3
Shoplifting: +4.6%
Non-residential burglary: +16.4%