SEX offences in North Yorkshire increased by almost a fifth last year, and burglaries were up by almost 10 per cent.

Figures released this week by the Office for National Statistics showed there were a total of 37,359 crimes in North Yorkshire during the 12 months to the end of June 2017, giving a crime rate of 45.9 per 1,000 of the population - a one per cent increase in crime on the previous year, but far lower than the 13 per cent overall increase England and Wales.

The increase included a rise in domestic burglary (up nine per cent from 1,451), drug offences (up 15 per cent from 1732), sexual offences (up 19 per cent from 1229), and violent incidents (up seven per cent from 9,190).

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said crime had risen in the last year, with burglary increasing by 13 per cent, stalking up 13 per cent, possession of weapons up 22 per cent and sex offences up 19 per cent.

She said: "The fact that North Yorkshire is consistently the safest and lowest crime area in England is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the teams of people from North Yorkshire Police and from our local authority and community partners.

"There is no doubt that our collective strength, passion and pride we have for our area is a key factor in this high level of performance. This pride is replicated in the very people we are proud to serve. Our communities provide so much support to their local policing teams. We will continue to do everything in our power to keep them safe and secure."

However, the figures also showed that violent crime in the 12 months to the end of June 2017 rose by 30 per cent compared with the same period ten years ago.

The figures showed that in the 12 months prior to the end of June 2007 there were 7,554 incidents of violence reported, compared to 9,869 in the year to the end of June 2017.

The number of sexual offences reported in the year to June 2007 was 593, compared to 1,465 in the year to June 2017, showing a massive increase of 147 per cent.

However, the number of house burglaries decreased from 2,373 to 1,592 - a reduction of 32 per cent - and the number of recorded drug offences also fell from 1,911 to 1,496 - a reduction of almost 22 per cent.