Crime in Gwynedd has increased by almost a quarter, according to the latest police recorded figures.

There were 8,157 reported offences between July 2017 and June 2018, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

That’s up by 23 per cent on the previous year, when 6,618 incidents were recorded.

That means there was a rate of 66 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2017-18, below the England and Wales average of 84.

The statistics are based on crimes reported to the police, and the ONS urges caution in interpreting some of these figures.

Some offences go unreported while others may be more numerous due to a change in the focus of the police or greater public attention.

However, the ONS believes crimes such as burglary and theft, which are generally well reported and recorded, have genuinely increased.

Joe Traynor, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable. We saw rises in some types of theft and in some lower-volume but higher-harm types of violence.”

Gun and knife possession offences in Gwynedd rose by 15 to 52 incidents.

There were 297 residential burglaries reported in 2017-18. Due to a change in how the ONS categorises burglaries, the localised figures cannot be compared with other years.

Chief Inspector Gerwyn Thomas from North Wales Police said of the figures: “Some of the increase is directly linked to how we currently record crime, changes to processes in the identification of crime has resulted in such an increase and it is fair to say that almost all forces have seen similar increases.

“The rules have also changed for certain crime types which now require that two crimes are recorded for a single reported incident.

“The force is working hard to ensure ethical crime recording with a victim-focused approach is undertaken. Here in Gwynedd we work well with partner agencies, we have a good understanding of the issues within our local communities and we work well together to find solutions to complex, emerging or hidden threats."

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