Crime on the rise in Boston, official figures show

File photo dated 22/10/14 of a Police officer, as according to new figures, some of the UK's biggest police forces have recorded a rise in the number of violent homophobic crimes this year, with hundreds of assaults on gay and lesbian people reported to police so far in 2014 - including more than 300 in London alone. Scotland Yard recorded 1,073 violent homophobic offences between January and October, up from 1,007 in 2013 and 1,002 in 2012.

Crime has risen over the last year in Boston, official police records reveal.

Lincolnshire Police recorded 5,683 offences in Boston in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 10% compared to the previous year, when there were 5,152.

However, at 80.2 crimes per 1,000 people, that was 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, 260 were sexual offences – an increase of 52% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 1,999 to 2,303 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 22%, from 789 incidents to 963.

And theft offences rose by 3%, with 1,569 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 22.1 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Boston included:

260 sexual offences, a rise of 52%2,303 violent offences, a rise of 15%599 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 17%241 drug offences, down 9%64 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, a decrease of 23414 public order offences, no change1,569 theft offences, a rise of 3%693 stalking and harassment offences, up 9%