Violent crime has soared in parts of mid and north Wales, with cases of stalking and harassment doubling in Powys.

According to the Office for National Statistics, Dyfed Powys Police recorded more than two thousand incidents of stalking and harassment in Powys in the 12 months to September 2021.

That was an increase of 98% from the year before.

In Ceredigion stalking and harassment reports rose by 44%, from 727 incidents to 1,049. And in Gwynedd stalking and harassment incidents increased by 20%, from 1413 to 1699 cases.

Overall, violent crime increased in Gwynedd while the total number of crimes in the county dropped.

North Wales Police recorded 4,095 incidents of violent crime in Gwynedd in the 12 months to September, that was an increase of 6% compared to the previous year.

In Powys violent crime soared by 43%, with 4224 incidents recorded.

And in Ceredigion violence was up 23%, with 2,406 incidents of violent crime

Around 5.8 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to September – a 2% rise compared to the previous year – though there was a 1% drop to 4.9 million offences when excluding cases of fraud and computer misuse.

The total number of offences in Powys increased by 29%, with police recording 8,933 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 67.2 per 1,000 people.

In Ceredigion total crime increased by 17%, with police recording 4,998 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 68.6 per 1,000 people

And in Gwynedd total crime fell by 1%, with police recording 8,849 crimes over the course of the year, putting the overall crime rate at 70.7 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 82.4.

Police forces across England and Wales logged the highest number of rapes and sexual offences in a 12-month period in the year to September, the figures show.

Around 63,100 rapes were recorded in the year to September, according to the ONS, up 13% from the previous period (56,100).

This was the highest recorded annual figure to date and included 17,400 offences between July and September – the highest quarterly figure.

The ONS said the latest figures may reflect several factors, including the “impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims”, and it urged caution when interpreting the data.

Other crimes recorded in Powys included:

* 412 sexual offences, a rise of 36%

* 1,311 theft offences, a rise of 3%

* 970 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 17%

* 423 drug offences, down 21%

* 66 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down six

* 1,314 public order offences, up 91%

Other crimes recorded in Ceredigion included:

* 205 sexual offences, a rise of 36%

* 689 theft offences, down 15%

* 518 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 8%

* 332 drug offences, up 4%

* 50 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up nine

* 713 public order offences, up 65%

Other crimes recorded in Gwynedd included:

* 356 sexual offences, a decrease of 20%

* 1,453 theft offences, down 20%

* 1,109 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 5%

* 297 drug offences, down 5%

* 53 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up three

* 1,296 public order offences, up 19%