Violent or sexual offences make up over 25% of crimes in Coventry in May

Over 25% of crimes which took place this May in Coventry were violent or sexual offences, according to analysis of the police’s crime map by The Coventry Telegraph.

These offences – including rape, sexual assault, common assault and grievous bodily harm – made 820 of 2,831 incidents, amounting to 29%.

Of the seven policing areas in Coventry, Stoke and Wyken saw the highest number of the offences at 145 incidents, 17 of which took place around University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.

20 of them are under investigation, while other cases have seen other results: no suspect identified, Local Resolution, action taken by another organisation, unable to prosecute, and awaiting court outcome.

The figures for the number of violent or sexual offences in each policing area besides Stoke and Wyken is as such:

• In Holbrook, Radford, Sherbourne and Bablake, three of the 141 offences are under investigation.
• In St Michael’s, 11 of the 140 offences are under investigation.
• In Woodlands, Wainbody, Westwood and Whoberley, nine of the 124 offences are under investigation.
• In Henley and Longford, 19 of the 109 offences are under investigation.
• In Binley, Willenhall, Cheylesmore and Earlsdon, 12 of the 95 offences are under investigation.
• In Foleshill, nine of the 66 offences are under investigation.

Besides these offences, knife crime has been especially prevalent in Coventry and the rest of the West Midlands, where the police force saw an overall crime increase of 11%.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) further reported that knife crime across the West Midlands increased by 17%.

In March 2019, rising incidents involving knives in the city led police to undertake Operation Sceptre, which involved weapon searches, sweeps and school visits to warn children about the dangers of carrying knives.

You can view the full crime map and the number and outcome of incidents which took place on specific roads here.

MPs Jim Cunningham, Colleen Fletcher and Geoffrey Robinson for Coventry South, North East and North West respectively have been contacted for comment.