New ONS crime figures show rise in robberies in Hertfordshire

More robberies were recorded by police in Hertfordshire in the past year, new crime figures show.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates which crimes are returning to pre-pandemic levels, while other crimes remain relatively below or significantly higher than levels before Covid-19.

Figures show 642 robbery offences were recorded by Hertfordshire Constabulary in the year to March 2023 – up 13 per cent from 566 the year before.

However, it was down from pre-pandemic levels when 1,038 robbery offences were recorded in the year to March 2020.

Across England and Wales, there were 75,300 robberies recorded in the most recent year – a similar jump of 13 per cent compared with 2022. But, compared to 2020, it was down 17 per cent.

ONS spokesman Nick Stripe said: "Some crime types are returning to their pre-pandemic levels, while others may have been affected by changes in people’s behaviour during the pandemic and the subsequent lifting of social restrictions.

"For crimes which are well reported and recorded by the police, we can gain additional insight from police data.

“Knife crime, robbery and firearms offences are all down on March 2020 levels, but have seen increases in the past year.

"Overall crime, continues to be well below levels seen before the pandemic. This is in large part due to sharp falls in theft and criminal damage."

Overall, Hertfordshire Constabulary recorded a total of 76,373 crimes in 2023. It was a decrease from 84,547 crimes recorded pre-pandemic.

However, sexual offences were recorded at nearly 2,600 – up 14 per cent from 2020.

The wider picture is similar, with 195,300 offences recorded by police in England and Wales last year – a slight increase from 2022, but a leap of 20 per cent from 163,400 in the pre-pandemic year.

But the ONS says the rise reflects improvements in police recording practices and reporting by victims, which means the figures are not a ‘reliable measure’.

A spokesperson said the data will also have been influenced by the impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people’s willingness to report both recent and historical incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims.