THE crime rate in the Vale of Glamorgan rose last year, new crime statistics show, reflecting an increased police workload across England and Wales.

The Office for National Statistics’ crime data shows that police recorded 8,535 crimes in the area during the 12 months to September.

It was also an increase on the number of offences in the previous year, when 8,266 were recorded.

Across England and Wales, the number of police recorded crimes rose by five per cent in the year to September, to just over five million offences.

Knife crime hit a record high, up by seven per cent on the previous 12 months, but the total number of homicides recorded by police fell by six per cent, from 654 to 617.

Meanwhile, separate figures also released last week show that the proportion of crimes in England and Wales resulting in a charge or summons remained largely the same as the previous year, at 7.3 per cent in the 12 months to September.

Chief superintendent for the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend division, Alun Morgan, said: “In line with other forces, we attribute much of the continued rise in figures to the change in recording methods, and a greater public confidence in reporting crime.

“This fits with our determination to put the victim at the heart of everything we do – a priority for South Wales Police for some years now – and our approach of actively encouraging people to come forward and report crimes.

“However, we recognise that there has been a genuine rise in some crime categories and we remain committed to working closely with a range of partner agencies, including those in the health, local government, education and the voluntary sectors, to prevent, detect and reduce crime.

“We continue to maintain the quality of our response in increasingly difficult financial circumstances and are seeking to utilise technology to support our front-line officers in improving their capability and capacity to deal with an ever-more complex environment.”