Crime on the rise in Waterlooville, new figures show

Dozens more offences have been reported to police in recent weeks in the area, the force’s latest news letter has shown.

In March a total of 482 crimes were documentated compared to 450 in the month before – a hike of 6.6 per cent.

The crimes range from anti-social behaviour, to theft, burglary, violent assaults and drink or drug-related incidents.

One of the biggest single increases was in vehicle thefts, which has soared 125 per cent, up from eight in February to 18 in March.

It follows a number of break-ins of cars and vans across the district which have prompted repeated warnings by police.

Criminal damage reports in the district have seen one of the largest spikes, up 37 per cent, with 37 incidents reported in March compared to 27 in February.

A fresh spate of cycle crimes have also fuelled the surge in reports, with eight reports being made in March – while there were no such incidents in the month before.

Elsewhere, the overall number of violent crimes for the district dropped fractionally by six per cent, with 83 recorded assaults in February compared to 78 in March.

Burglaries also dropped from four in February to three in March.