REPORTS of serious crimes such as domestic abuse, harassment, racial hate crimes and public order offences are dramatically up in Oxford.

The latest crime summary for Oxford published by police has revealed that racist and religiously aggravated crimes rose by 61.3 per cent between July last year and June this year.

Harassment has also rocketed in the 12 months, with 462 crimes reported this year – 147 more than the year before.

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The data also suggests that domestic abuse has risen by 33 per cent with 1,544 recorded crimes that can be specifically pinpointed to the city.

During the 12-month period, nearly 400 more domestic abuse incidents were reported to the force than in the 12 months before.

Public order offences – which include anti-social behaviour such as graffiti or being drunk and disorderly – were also higher than the year before.

Oxford Mail:

Racist graffiti was sprayed on a wall at Cheney School in March.

The force had noted a 61.3 per cent rise, a total of 866 reports – 329 reports up on last year.

However police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley Anthony Stansfeld cautioned that apparent rises were partly down to changes in the way incidents are recorded.

The figures were put together using data from the crime recording system called Niche.

Last month the force was branded ‘inadequate’ for the second time in a damning report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).The report revealed that as it is, the force records around 88 per cent of crimes reported to it – but thousands of crimes each year go unrecorded.

Last month the force was branded ‘inadequate’ for the second time in a damning report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

The report concluded that the force recorded around 88 per cent of crimes reported to it – but said that thousands more crimes each year go unrecorded.

Mr Stansfeld, the elected head of the force, also suggested that the increasing number of reports was also a positive because, he said, it showed people were reporting crimes more as they happened.

He said: “These figures highlight an increase we are seeing in the reporting by victims of domestic abuse, harassment and racially or religiously aggravated cases. That is to be welcomed.”

He also noted the change in how public order offences are specifically recorded has led to an increase in the figure, rather an ‘actual increase in offences’.

Adding: “I can reassure the public that I am committed to tackling any rise in public order offences across the Thames Valley.”