CRIME is on the rise in Waverley with a nine per cent increase in the total number of recorded offences so far this financial year, including a dramatic spike in sexual offences.

According to data unveiled by Waverley’s new neighbourhood inspector Mark Bridge, 290 more crimes were recorded between April and December 2015 in the borough than during the same period in 2014.

In addition, the number of crimes reaching a “positive outcome” has reduced by four per cent, with police bringing charges or prosecutions in just 17 per cent of cases.

Most notably, the number of serious sexual crimes such as rape and child abuse increased by 54 per cent during this period, with just 12 per cent of these reaching a positive outcome.

Violent crimes such as assault and murder also increased - by 24 per cent when a victim was injured and by 94 per cent when only the threat of violence was involved - and domestic burglary increased by seven per cent.

However, vehicle crime has decreased by 12 per cent while cases of anti-social behaviour has also decreased by 16 per cent.

Speaking at the Waverley Crime Summit on Monday, Inspector Bridge said: “Yes, recorded crimes have gone up in Waverley, but that reflects a national trend and is not just isolated to Surrey.

“In terms of sexual offences, Surrey Police is now recording all cases of historical sexual offences which is a huge factor. When somebody reports something now, even if it happened six months or six years ago, we now record those events on the day they are reported.

“It is encouraging that people feel more confident we will deal with those sorts of crimes and of course the increase in public awareness of sexual abuse because of all the high-profile cases has also led to more victims coming forward.

“The figures also say burglary has gone up nine per cent, but if you add three more weeks to the data, there has been just three more burglaries in Waverley since the end of December.

“That’s three too many of course, but it alters those figures and actually the number of burglaries have now decreased in the year to-date by nine per cent.

“It’s also very positive that vehicle crime is down 12 per cent and anti-social behaviour is down 16 per cent, and public confidence is up to 90 per cent - which means nine out of 10 victims of crime in Waverley are happy with the way they were dealt with.”

The statistics emphasise the pressures on Surrey Police as identified by its outgoing chief constable Lynne Owens last November when unveiling the force’s new ‘Policing in Your Neighbourhood’ (PIYN) model.

Over the last three years, Surrey Police has seen a 153 per cent increase in reports of rape, a 122 per cent increase in reports of sexual offences and a 34 per cent increase in reports of domestic violence in the county.

During the same period, reports of house burglaries have fallen by 24 per cent and reports of car thefts is down 32 per cent.

To meet this changing demand and respond to ongoing budgetary pressures, Surrey Police will over the next four years shift more resources into teams that specifically protect vulnerable people, while employing a ‘threat, risk and harm’ approach across the force to prioritise those in the greatest need.

Surrey Police’s overall workforce will shrink by 10 per cent under the new model - with up to 400 jobs including 32 police officers to be axed.

However, it will see new ‘area policing teams’ replace Surrey’s current targeted patrol teams, with more officers reassigned to work directly out of their neighbourhoods.

In Waverley, this will have the effect of doubling the number of police staff working in the borough from 34 to around 70 - including up to 50 police constables, 10 PCSOs, an admin assistant and a number of sergeants supporting the work in the borough.

Inspector Bridge, who joined the Waverley team in August last year, continued: “Come April 3, the Policing in the Neighbourhood model will change the way we police and there will be an uplift in officers for Waverley.

“That has to be a good thing for local people, and these extra officers will be aligned to the borough so they will have local knowledge and be ‘omni-competent’ - meaning they’ll be expected to arrest somebody, to interview that person and to put a court file together and attend court themselves instead of passing the case on to detectives.

“That’s how it worked when I first joined the force and I’ve personally got no worries or fears about it. We just have to up-skill some officers so they’re capable of dealing with things from the start to the end.

“I know there are concerns around neighbourhood policing and people are worried they are having their local policeman taken away from them. This is quite understandable, but the reality is neighbourhood policing isn’t going away and it’s really important that we don’t lose touch with local people.

“Yes we’re coming away from some of the things we historically did, but we’re doing this so we can respond and be there for the public when we really need to be.”