New figures show that Cheshire was one of just eight police forces across England and Wales that saw a reduction in crime across the 12 months to March.

The figures released yesterday ( Thursday) by the Office for National Statistics show a 3.9% reduction in overall crime recorded in Cheshire during this period, in stark contrast to the national average increase of 4.5%.

This is the second successive quarter that crime has fallen in Cheshire, following a 1.7% reduction in the figures released in April 2023.

Reductions were seen across many categories of crime, including robbery from businesses (-25.6%), hate crime (-16.8%), public order offences (-14.4%), drugs trafficking (-12.2%), and stalking and harassment (-9.8%).

Although Cheshire saw a high increase for possession of weapons offences (+96.2%), this is largely down to a huge drive in proactively stopping and searching people officers believe are up to no good.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: "These figures reflect the hard work of Cheshire Police officers and staff, who are continuing to do all they can to make this county hostile to criminals. We continue to carry out cross border operations to deter those who travel into Cheshire to commit crime.

"Just last week Operation Crossbow took place, a multi-agency partnership with West Mercia Police, Staffordshire Police, and British Transport Police, as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal activity across the region and deny criminals the use of the roads.

"Our officers have also been working closely with the communities they serve by launching initiatives to not only catch offenders and prevent criminal behaviour, but also offer advice and public reassurance to residents and businesses. This includes taking part in the recent Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week.

"Cheshire also continues to have one of the highest charge rates for burglary in the UK, along with one of the highest charge rates for sexual offences.

"All of this sets a strong example to anyone who thinks they can come and commit crime in Cheshire and get away with it. I hope members of the public will also be reassured of the action we will carry out to prevent our residents, businesses, and communities from becoming victims of crime.

"Away from the frontline, our police staff are playing a huge part in protecting those who live in Cheshire. In May, the force control room saw a record-breaking number of 999 calls, up 17.8% on May 2022. Despite this, our mean answer time was 9.9 seconds, under the national target of 10 seconds, and an 0.8% improvement from May last year.

"This puts Cheshire 10th out of 43 forces for call answer times – up two places from April - and is the 7th month in a row where performance improvements have been made.

"Overall, these latest figures highlight Cheshire as one of the safest places to live in the country, and I am very pleased to recognise the hard work of everyone in the Constabulary."