Latest crime figures show Suffolk remains ‘high performing’
“A stable and consistently high performing police force.”
That’s the message from deputy chief constable Rob Jones (pictured above) as the latest crime figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show Suffolk remains in the top three counties in England and Wales where people are least likely to be victims of crime.
The total recorded crime covering the 12 months to the end of March 2025 show that there were 57.4 crimes per 1,000 people, a decrease of 3.1 per cent compared to the previous 12 months. The national year on year decrease for England was 1.7pc.
Knife crime saw a drop in offences recorded to -17.2pc, following on from the 20pc drop in the previous quarterly figures.
The figures saw drops in other various crime types including public order, stalking/harassment, theft from person, robbery, criminal damage, violent crime, drug offences and possession of weapons.
Based on the ONS figures, Suffolk Constabulary remains ranked third for the lowest levels of recorded crime in the country for the fourth consecutive quarter.
During 2019/20 Suffolk was in 13th position in terms of its reported crime levels.
The constabulary continues to deliver a number of different activities and initiatives targeting knife possession, serious violence and other criminality where knife crime is often associated including educational inputs, weeks of actions and operations, knife amnesty bins and work to tackle anti-social behaviour, gangs and violence.
DCC Jones said: “We remain an organisation that puts the victim first, and with that in mind I fully accept these figures will mean little if you have been the victim of a crime.
“We remain focused on providing you with a high standard of support and that must always be a priority.
“It’s also, crucially, about how we engage with victims and witnesses – what we say, what we do and how we respond to people in need and how suspects are treated.
“However, for the fourth consecutive quarter Suffolk has the third lowest recorded crime figures demonstrating we are a force that is a stable and high performing organisation.
“I hope people can feel encouraged that these results demonstrate just how hard we are all working to keep people of Suffolk safe and to solve crime and catch criminals.”
“Crime statistics don’t give the full picture of a local policing service.
“That said, I am very confident that our neighbourhood policing model introduced in December 2023 has strengthened the relationships we have in our towns and villages.
“Community officers are strongly embedded in the area you live, while visible patrols and working closely with our partners and communities can and does tackling anti social behaviour and crime.
“It’s all about being accessible and responsive, because we know how important it is for you to see the positive impact of local policing.”
The figures did see rises in recorded crimes for shoplifting (+10.3pc), vehicle offences (+8.3pc), domestic burglary (4.9pc) and sexual offences (3.7pc).
Suffolk’s national ranking for lowest levels of recorded crime:
March 2024 – March 2025 – 3rd
Dec 2023 – Dec 2024 – 3rd
Sept 2023 – Sept 2024 – 3rd
June 2023 – June 2024 – 3rd
March 2023 – March 2024 – 4th
Dec 2022 – Dec 2023 – 4th
Sept 2022 – Sept 2023 – 5th
June 2022 – June 2023 – 6th
Dec 2019 – Dec 2020 – ranked 13th
% change (March 2024 – March 2025):
Knife crime: -17.2%
Public order: -14.5%
Stalking and harassment: -11.2%
Theft from person: -10.8%
Robbery: -7.8%
Bicycle crime: -4.4%
Robbery: -7.8%
Criminal damage/arson: -6.5%
Violence against the person: -5.7%
Drug offending: -2.9%
Possession of weapons: -1.2%
Non-residential burglary: +0.8%
Sexual offences: +2.9%
Domestic burglary: +4.7%
Vehicle offences: +8.2%
Shoplifting: +10.3%
Suffolk’s national ranking for lowest levels of recorded crime:
March 2024 – March 2025 – 3rd
Dec 2023 – Dec 2024 – 3rd
Sept 2023 – Sept 2024 – 3rd
June 2023 – June 2024 – 3rd
March 2023 – March 2024 – 4th
Dec 2022 – Dec 2023 – 4th
Sept 2022 – Sept 2023 – 5th
June 2022 – June 2023 – 6th