CRIME in the North and West of Oxfordshire is on the rise with latest figures revealing an increase in reports of burglaries, robberies and violent crimes in the past 12 months.

Reports of crime in the Cherwell and West Oxfordshire policing area have increased overall by 12.5 per cent from 2015/16, with the statistics released for the past financial year also revealing a 12.7 per cent drop in recording crimes which the police processed to establish an 'outcome'.

Recordings of burglary increased by 35.78 per cent from the previous year, with reports of violent against a person rising from 2,688 to 2,846 - a 5.9 per cent increase - over the same period.

Arson and criminal damage increased by 18.9 per cent with 1,921 reports compared to 1,615 in 2015/16 and vehicle crime, which includes thefts of a vehicle, from a vehicle and vehicle interference, was up from 793 reported to 1,117, a 40 per cent rise in a year.

Despite the overall rise, robbery of business property fell from 13 reports in 2015/16 to 5 in 2016/17 along with drug offences, decreasing from 532 reports to 419, a 21.2 per cent fall.

Following the release of the figures by Thames Valley Police, Chief Inspector Emma Garside said the increase in crime could be seen 'particularly in larger urban areas such as Banbury and Bicester'.

The deputy LPA commander for Cherwell and West Oxfordshire, added the figures showed the area shared 'many of the same challenges as other areas in the force'.

Ch Insp Garside said: "Overall crime in the area is up. We have seen an increase for the first time in a number of years of domestic burglary.

"We are taking the necessary steps to identify potential causes and encourage the crime prevention messages in our communities.

"We are pleased that the numbers of drugs offences have reduced, as this reinforces the work we have done locally under the Stronghold campaign.

"I am also pleased to see a reduction in the numbers of businesses falling victim to robbery."

Overall in Cherwell and West Oxfordshire 13,236 crimes were reported in 2016/17 compared to 11,769 the year before and 10,393 in 2014/15.

But in comparison to the rise in reports, police only established an 'outcome' for 2,524 recorded crimes compared to 2,892 in 2015/16 and 3,174 in 2014/15.

The classification of 'outcome' is used when cases for when a caution, charge, or summons has been made, but also when crimes recorded are resolved at community level, by another authority, or when there has been no prosecution.

Ch Insp Garside added: "Crime isn’t just a police concern.

"We work hard at building and strengthening our relationships with our key partners in the local authority and other emergency services.

"We are grateful for the continued support of the public over this last year as we continue to protect the most vulnerable in our communities from harm and ensure our towns are villages are a safe place to live and work."

The reported crime rise comes as Thames Valley Police braces itself for a £22m cut from its budget for this financial year - on top of £88m saved over the past six years.

Anthony Stansfeld, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, admitted the figures were 'concerning' and said it was a serious issue.

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said a reason for the fall in 'outcomes' could be due to a large number of reports not being 'directly crime-related'.