Shoplifting and weapons offences on the rise

Darryl Preston was elected as police and crime commissioner in May 2024

A county saw a drop in recorded personal robberies and home burglaries over the past year - but a rise in shoplifting and possession of weapons offences, according to its police and crime commissioner.

Darryl Preston, the elected official who oversees policing in Cambridgeshire, said officers were "working hard to respond to demand".

Cambridgeshire had 1,732 police officers on the beat at the end of March, which is the same figure as last year, and itself a record high.

The commissioner, who was re-elected for a four-year term last year as the Conservative candidate, has produced a draft annual report covering local policing in the year to April.

Preston said: "With more officers in our cities, towns and rural areas through proactive recruitment and improvements to call handling, the constabulary is working hard to respond to demand."

He added that police funding remained a "big issue" in the county and that trust in policing was an "ongoing" problem nationally.

"It is important to remember that the majority of officers and staff enter policing for the right reasons – to tackle crime and keep communities safe."

Compared with last year, 11% fewer personal robbery offences were recorded and there were 9% fewer instances of residential burglary.

But other offences increased annually – there was a 22% increase in shoplifting and a 17% increase in possession of weapons offences.

The report said that police response times had improved in general, from 20 minutes last year to 14 minutes in recent months on average.

It said shoplifting was a rising national trend and that the force's Spree Offender Team had seen 1,639 charges since September 2023.

Police patrols in 20 locations regarded as hotspots had led to 160 weapons being taken from streets, the report added.

The draft report will be discussed at a meeting of the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime panel in Peterborough on 17 July.