STALKING and harassment cases rose by almost 60 per cent in North Yorkshire in the last year, while 3,000 more violent incidents were reported in the same period.

The latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics look at crime figures in the county for the 12 months ending September 2019, compared to the same period the year before.

Offences of violence against another person were up from 12,776 to 16,056 - an increase of 26 per cent.

Meanwhile, stalking and harassment cases shot up from 2,283 to 3,592, and sexual offence increased from 1,119 to 1,809.

North Yorkshire has also seen a rise in thefts, from 186 in 2018 to 235 last year.

North Yorkshire Police said overall that it has seen a 12 per cent increase in recorded offences, but that the county still remains one of "the safest in Britain".

It added there was a total of 47,368 crimes in North Yorkshire during the 12-month period to September 2018, giving a crime rate of 57.5 per 1,000 of the population, which is the lowest nationally and significantly lower than the average of 84.6 per 1,000 across England and Wales.

North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “Today’s figures show that despite a 12 per cent rise in recorded offences in North Yorkshire, our county remains the safest place in the country per 1,000 of the population."

She said work to improve how crime is recorded, detected and investigated influenced the county’s crime levels, and ensuring victims felt confident about reporting offences was a "top priority".

She added: “My thanks go to each and every one of our officers, staff and volunteers for their continuous hard work, our partners whose role is vital in helping us protect people, and members of the public for their support. Despite our national position, we are not complacent and our focus is on improving early intervention and prevention across the service to reduce harm in our communities.”

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: “We are continuing to see higher than average increases in crimes being recorded across the county.

“North Yorkshire Police is getting much better at that, but there is always more to do.

“This does not account for all the increase though, and it is important we all recognise that. Any rise is concerning, and I will be asking the chief constable to ensure she is confident her plans address the challenges we are facing. I am particularly concerned about the rise in violent crime as this is the sort of offence which causes huge worry.”