Crime has risen over the last year in the Forest of Dean, official police records reveal.
Gloucestershire Constabulary recorded 4,108 offences in the Forest of Dean in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That was an increase of 29% compared to the previous year, when there were 3,176.
However, at 47.2 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.
Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 163 were sexual offences – an increase of 26% from the year before.
Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 1,496 to 2,063 over this period.
One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 57%, from 434 incidents to 682.
And theft offences rose by 21%, with 767 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.
At 8.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.
Crimes recorded in the Forest of Dean included:
- 163 sexual offences, a rise of 26%
- 2,063 violent offences, a rise of 38%
- 462 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 15%
- 109 drug offences, down 24%
- 30 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, an increase of three
- 397 public order offences, up 58%
- 767 theft offences, a rise of 21%
- 855 stalking and harassment offences, up 57%