A study by security firm Churchill Support Services, has revealed the most dangerous towns and cities in the South West.
The research showed that the South West has an overall crime rate of 69.4 crimes per 1000 residents, and whilst it remains statistically one of the safest areas to live in the UK, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show a stagnation in that rate, with several key crime types seeing a slight increase over the comparative safety that South West England has historically seen.
Shoplifting (35,335 incidents) has increased by more than 42% compared to last year as well as robbery (3856 incidents, up by 16%) and weapon possession (3878 incidents, up by 13%).
However, there are also decreases in some crimes, including bicycle theft (4973 offences, down from 5883), drug offences (9753 incidents, down from 10,502 incidents), public order offences (37,963 incidents, down from 43,857 incidents) and criminal damage (41,964 incidents, down from 43,767 incidents).
We’ve analysed the study to reveal the 20 most dangerous areas of the region. Let’s take a look:
1. Bournemouth
Crime rate of 146.6 per 1000 people | South side of Obscura Cafe, Bournemouth by Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
2. Burnham-on-Sea
Crime rate of 137.3 per 1000 people | Burnham-on-Sea : Ash Tree Road by Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
3. Lydney
Crime rate of 135.1 per 1000 people | Lydney Brew, Church Road, Lydney by Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
4. Stroud
Crime rate of 123.5 per 1000 people | Intrigue of Stroud by Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons