Reported crimes in town fall by 2,000 in year

The total of reported crimes in a town dropped by more than 2,000 in one year, latest police figures have shown.

There were 21,007 recorded crimes between December 2023 and December 2024 in Stockton-on-Tees, a decrease of 2,626 from 2022 to 2023.

Cleveland Police also reported drug trafficking had almost doubled with a 97% rise, although it said the increase could be seen as a positive due to the pro-active work of officers.

Ch Insp Andy Evans said the force would continue to focus on stalking offences, specifically around legislation "on certain cases in the past where we may have missed opportunities".

Crimes involving arson rose by 16%, rape by 3% and there were small rises in weapon possession and other "miscellaneous" crimes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"Whilst we'll never see a rape being reported as a positive, it is an area where potentially and historically we've had under-reporting," Ch Insp Evans said.

"We would want victims of any sexual offence to feel comfortable coming forward, speaking to us and trusting us to do the right thing."

On the arson increase, Ch Insp Evans said he was in contact with the fire service to discuss plans improving education and enforcement.

It comes as Cleveland Police reported that knife crime involving young people on Teesside fell by 12% in the same year.

Anti-social behaviour also dropped, with fewer begging and rowdy or nuisance incidents.

"We can't drop off just because those figures are coming down," Ch Insp Evans said.

"There's a lot going on in terms of oversight, we'll be looking at potential environmental improvements in certain hotspot areas to see if we can bring it down further.

"There's out of court disposals. We can look at early interventions through education."

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