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Drug-related crime is 44% higher than the coronavirus lockdown in England and Wales compared to the same period last year, official figures show.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, drug offences recorded by police increased by 22% in April to 16,570 and from 44% in May to 20,687. This is for 13535 and 14343 for the respective months in 2019.
The ONS report, released Wednesday, attributes this to “proactive police activity in prosecuting the crimes of confinement.”
He said the increase was mainly due to drug possession offenses with ‘early indications’ suggesting this is ‘particularly evident in London’, where the Metropolitan Police had a higher number of drug-related arrests and searches.
In general, crimes registered through the police: confinement decreased 25% in April and 20% in May compared to the same time in 2019. Violations also fell 5% in March compared to February, according to The report.
Reports of theft fell in April and May to “almost part of the recorded level” in the same months last year.
However, the figures show that crime has increased again as confinement restrictions have to decrease, he added.
Billy Gazard of the ONS Center for Crime and Justice said: “There has been a drop in crime at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in England and Wales.
“This motivated through the relief in crimes of robbery, especially breaking and entering and theft of non-public property. As this era coincided with most people spending long periods at home while locked up, this is not unexpected. “
But he said that “the police record of exception of drug crimes, which was higher in April and May,” he added: “This reflects proactive police activity since the general point of crimes has decreased. “
The report gives the first official indication of some crime figures recorded through the police since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
But the effects are limited due to difficulties in collecting statistics, and some figures are still available.
For example, police reports on domestic violence are recorded on a quarterly basis, so official figures for the confinement have not yet been released.