Crime in Sussex has risen in the past year with significant spikes in shoplifting and weapons offences.

Data released by the Home Office shows the number of crimes recorded by Sussex Police has risen by eight per cent from the year ending March 2022 to the year ending March 2023.

The figures show a steeper rise than the national average and are headlined by several categories rising by over 30 per cent in the past year.

According to the figures, the number of recorded shoplifting crimes has risen by 42 per cent, with 11,822 incidents noted.

Possession of weapons offences also rose by 37 per cent while non-residential burglaries rose by a third.

The figures come when shortly under 130,000 crimes were recorded in the county from March 2022 to March 2023 compared to 120,000 the year before.

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In Sussex, the single largest category of crime was violence against the person which encompasses a range of offences including murder, harassment and grievous and actual bodily harm.

The statistics show that there were nine murders in Sussex in the year ending March 2023, compared to eight the previous year.

Only two categories of crime, drug offences and miscellaneous crimes against society, decreased across the year.

Sussex also experienced the highest percentage rise in crime in the South East, where every other county was on or below the national average.

The Argus: Aerial photo of BrightonAerial photo of Brighton (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

The increase in shoplifting crimes comes as the country has been gripped by a cost-of-living crisis with rises in inflation and food costs.

Data from the Office for National Statistics also suggests that improvements in recording practices may be partially responsible for the rising figures.

Sussex Police were approached for comment regarding the rise in statistics.