According to police data, in England and Wales said there was an average 25% reduction in crime across the nation during coronavirus lockdown- but does this statistic apply to York?

Using police data, we can compare crime rates in April 2020 and April 2019, to see how much crime levels have changed in the city.

We can also see which type of crimes are reported the most and how being in lockdown has changed these figures.

Here are some crime statistics relating to York that reflect how crime has changed during lockdown.

The total number of crime reported was lower in April 2020 compared to April 2019. 1742 crimes were reported last April, compared to 1631 at the start of lockdown this year.

Anti-social behaviour is the most reported crime in April each year. However, this has seen a drastic increase during lockdown jumping from 596 in April 2019 to 940 in April 2020.

However, most other types have crimes have reduced since the start of lockdown.

In April 2019, 143 criminal damage and arson incidents were reported, compared to the lower number of 82 in 2020.

As you would expect from people staying indoors, Burglary has also decreased in York- 90 cases were reported in 2019 compared to 42 in 2020.

While violent and sexual offences are still high, less cases have been reported in 2020 (273) compared to 2019 (396).

Where are the crimes being committed?

In both April 2020 and April 2019, the majority of crimes appear to take place in supermarkets. 101 incidents were reported near these supermarkets in 2019 compared to 37 in 2020.

As nightclubs were closed down during lockdown, it makes sense that only 5 nightclub-related crimes took place in April 2020, compared to 13 in April 2019.

In 2019, Nessgate was the York street with the most reported incidents (17). In April 2020, Clarence Street was the worst for crime with 19 reported incidents.