Crime levels in Bradford city centre in the past five years

Some of the highest reported crimes in Bradford city centre include violence against the person, which rose by 44.5 per cent between 2018 and 2022, and public order offences, which rose by 43.9 per cent in the same period.

Theft continues to be one of the city centre’s biggest issues, despite dropping by 19.2 per cent in the past five years, while arson and criminal damage increased by 21.5 per cent.

This all contributed to an overall 7.8 per cent rise in city centre crime between 2018 to 2022. 

The figures were released in a Freedom of Information request sent to West Yorkshire Police.

The Telegraph & Argus asked for a breakdown of crimes recorded in Bradford city centre between 2018 and 2022 as well as the type of crime and outcome. 

The data represents the number of crimes recorded during these years which were not subsequently cancelled and occurred in Bradford City NPT. 

Out of 32,068 recorded crimes, just 3,331 crime reports ended with a charge or summons to court.

The top three outcomes for crimes included an investigation being completed without a suspect identified, evidential difficulties regarding the suspect’s identity, and evidential difficulties regarding the suspect’s identity (victim based).

Chief Inspector Bash Anwar, head of neighbourhood policing at Bradford district for West Yorkshire Police, said: “We record crimes in line with the Home Office Counting Rules that sets out the standards for all forces to adhere to when making crime recording decisions.

"We are rated as 'outstanding' by the HMICFRS in respect of how we record crimes, so people in Bradford can have confidence that when they report crime it will be properly recorded and acted upon.

“Recorded crime figures across West Yorkshire in the three months up to September 2022 show an increase in line with the national trend. This increase is undoubtedly influenced by the pandemic.

“This has had the effect of increasing the total amount of crime in some categories, including public order offences, which may have previously been recorded as ‘incidents’ or Anti-social behaviour, but not necessarily as a criminal offence.

“We have worked hard to educate our staff and officers to recognise and record crimes of anti-social behaviour in order for us to take the necessary steps to bring offenders to justice and safeguard members of our community.”

When asked what can be done to drive down crime, he said: “We are continuing to work with a range of partners and have created both a strategic city centre community safety partnership group and an operational city centre community safety partnership group. 

“We appreciate that it is important to tackle both crime and the perceptions of crime in the city centre.

“These groups are working together to find solutions to specific problems which are wider than just enforcement.

“Recent developments include the launch of the walksafe app, ask angela, active bystander training, the use of night time marshals and licensing enforcement. Bradford police are reviewing the night time economy policing operation to ensure it is as effective as possible.”

Reports of sexual offences rose by 17.8 per cent while the possession of weapons rose by 10.5 per cent.

Drug offences have continued to rise, reaching 43.9 per cent.

In half a decade, there has been a sizable drop in reports of vehicle offences (48.4 per cent), as well as robbery (37 per cent) and burglary offences (26.5 per cent).

Ch Insp Anwar said: “Bradford City Neighbourhood Team work closely with partner agencies such as the council, social services, youth services and homeless outreach, to build a stronger and safer city centre.

“It has been great to see a significant reduction in certain crime types across the city centre and we accept that there is more work to do and we will continue to work on these areas.

“Our crime rates place us the third lowest of all northern England inner city NPT area with an average of 539 crimes per month against a north of England average of 861.

“My officers are dedicated to policing the city centre and work hard with a focus on victims. These aren’t just days of action but years of hard work, through being proactive we can drive crime down and make people living and working here feel safer.”