Serious sexual offences and neighbourhood crime are on the rise in a Norfolk town while figures show less than 10pc have been solved.
A new report has revealed the challenges faced by Norfolk Constabulary to tackle crime in King's Lynn.
Statistics show just 9pc of home burglaries and 15.8pc of robberies committed in the last 12 months have been solved.
While the number of serious violent crimes and domestic abuse reported to the police have fallen.
The statistics show a mixed picture over the last 12 months.
The category that has seen the biggest increase is neighbourhood crime. This includes home burglaries, criminal damage, antisocial behaviour and motor vehicle thefts.
In the last year, 9pc of home burglaries have been solved while 28pc have resulted in a suspect being identified but no further action has been taken.
There has also been a 15pc reduction in the number of residential burglaries.
Serious sexual offences have risen by 6.2pc this past year while the number of offences solved has decreased to 7.6pc.
Inspector Ben Jarvis of King's Lynn Police said this increase equates to 10 crimes and that the majority of these crimes take place within a domestic abuse context rather than in public.
"There is a huge push on the protection of vulnerable people, women and girls from both serious and sexual violence.
"Subsequently, more people are feeling empowered to come forward, work with the police, and ultimately seek help from all of the services involved."
READ MORE: Report criticises Norfolk police for way it responds to the public
More than 45pc of the suspects were identified but no further action was taken while 44 cases remain open.
Child sexual abuse has dropped by nearly 20pc, with 73 investigations opened this year.
VIOLENT CRIME DECLINES
There has been a big drop in violent crime in King's Lynn over the last 12 months.
This includes a 38pc drop in grievous bodily harm.
Overall the number of serious violent crimes has fallen by 18pc.
The number of victims of domestic abuse coming forward to the police fell by 7pc in the last 12 months.
More than 20pc of those are repeat victims.
No figures were provided for the arrest rate for domestic abuse crimes.
Last year 19 robberies were reported and there were just five crimes involving knives.
Less than 16pc of robberies were solved and more than half of violent crimes reported led to a suspect being identified but no further action was taken.
The number of motor vehicles being stolen is also down 9.1pc.
POLICING POSITIVES
While there are some increases, overall King's Lynn police believe overall crime is declining than increasing in the town.
Inspector Jarvis said: "There are many good news stories for the community of King's Lynn, with the positives considerably more significant than the negatives.
"The people of King’s Lynn can be reassured officers work tirelessly to keep their community safe, clearly shown in these positive figures."
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