Violent crime in Greater Manchester has risen by 39% in the last year, whilst the number of sexual offences has risen by 52%.
Homicide in the North West region has also risen by 28% in the same period compared to 6% nationally, according to a report published yesterday by the Office of National Statistics.
Cuts to police forces by the Conservative Government have hit Manchester particularly hard, as the rising crime levels correlate with dwindling police numbers.
In the 12 months leading up to March 2015, Greater Manchester Police lost four times more staff than the national average.
Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said in a statement: “Local people are rightly concerned about the cuts to GMP and, while police officers and staff remain committed to keeping people safe, it is getting increasingly more difficult to put the public’s mind at ease.
“The reality is that we are heading towards 1970s police numbers where police were used simply as an emergency response service.
“The Home Secretary continues to claim that falling crime is a justification for cutting away at local policing.
“Today, her claims are once again exposed as baseless and simply untrue.”
MM spoke to Duncan Craig, the CEO of male sexual abuse support group Survivors Manchester.
He said: “It concerns me that front line police are being cut in Greater Manchester, because if more people are coming forward, that means that more crimes are going to need to be investigated.
“And if there’s not the staff to do that then what’s going to happen? No one’s got the answer. As a service provider, that concerns me greatly.”
Police chiefs estimate that 17,000 officers were cut from forces under the Conservative-led coalition, and 22,000 more face losing their jobs by 2020.
This rise in crime reflects a nation-wide trend, with violent crime in the UK rising by 25% from the years 2013/14 to 2014/15.
Image courtesy of That’s Manchester, via YouTube, with thanks.
