England was plunged into lockdown in April 2020, causing the public to change many things about their lifestyle.

Data from police in England and Wales suggest crime rates have dropped in many regions across the UK during coronavirus lockdown- can the same be said for Worcester?

By comparing police data from April 2019 and April 2020, we can analyse how crime rates and trends have changed across Worcester.

This is how the coronavirus lockdown has changed crime in Worcester.

While some cities across the UK have experienced reduced crime rates during lockdown, Worcester isn’t one of them.

There were a total of 1293 crimes reported in Worcester in April 2020-197 more than in April 2019.

Anti-social behaviour was the most reported crime both years- in April 2019 there were 429 reported cases and in 2020 there were 734 reported cases, which is an increase of more than 300.

While still a high number, the amount of violent and sexual offences decreased in April 2020 (248) compared with April 2019 (272).

With more people staying indoors, you would expect rates of burglary to decrease- but Worcester’s data suggests otherwise.

32 burglaries were reported in April 2019 and 57 were reported during the first month of lockdown- an increase of 25.

Where did the most crimes take place in Worcester?

According to the data, the majority of crimes took place near supermarkets and shopping areas- this figure has remained consistent year to year, with 36 incidents reported in April 2019 and and 33 taking place in April 2020.

In April 2020, there were 12 crime incidents reported in Little Park Street- it was the road with the most amount of crimes. Lowesmoor was the road with the highest crime rates in April 2019 with 14 reported.