Make communities safer
9.5% increase in overall crime recorded
Total recorded crime in Coventry increased in April 2020 to March 2021 to 31,309 from 28,592 in 2019/20. This is a 9.5% increase; a much larger increase than in 2019/20 which was only 0.8%. In 2020/21 Coventry ranked fourth out of the eight policing areas, accounting for 11.2% of the West Midlands force's total. Crime has increased throughout the year; however, this may be due to the reduction in recorded crime during the first lockdown experienced at the beginning of the time period. March 2021 recorded the highest number of offences in Coventry for the year.
The top three offences for Coventry in 2020/21 were common assault (accounting for 10.3% of crimes), assault occasioning actual bodily harm (7.1%) and harassment (6.2%). Notably of the top three, both common assault and harassment increased significantly, both seeing an increase of 900+ offences recorded in 2020/21.
Slight increase in youth offending
Coventry has seen a slight increase in the rate of first-time entrants to the youth justice system in young people aged 10-17. This has increased from 224 per 100,000 in 2019/20 to 230 in 2020/21. This reverses a trend since 2016 where the number of first-time entrants has decreased – and the youth offending service will be closely monitoring the trends on a quarterly basis as pandemic-related restrictions ease to assess the longer-term pattern.
55% increase in the number of hate crimes recorded
This is a year where the death of George Floyd in America has sparked protests and conversations about racial inequalities, not just in the USA, but in the UK and around the world too – and here in Coventry.
In 2020/21, 916 hate crime offences were recorded. This is an increase of 328 (55%) from 588 offences in 2019/20. Racially motivated hate crime continued to be the most common hate strand recorded in 2020/21 with 81% of the total being attributed to this strand. Following this was homophobic hate crime (11%) and disability hate crime (5%). Together, these three accounted for 97% of the year's total.
In October 2020, a video produced in Coventry by local communities highlighted the thoughts and feelings of victims of hate crime and providing details of how people, who experience or witness hate crime, can report it.
The video, titled ‘Together we can stop hate crime’, tells the experiences of people from different communities in the city.
Each person’s story explains the cruelty of hate crime, which is defined by a hostility or prejudice towards someone on the basis of either their race, religion, disability, or as a result of homophobia or transphobia.
It was put together by the Council with support from Together in Action (TIA), plus community and police partners.
The video is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/kBeQzbnw5aU and anyone experiencing a hate crime can report it at www.report-it.org.uk or go to a library or family hub to get information.
Domestic abuse
37% increase in domestic abuse crimes reported
There has been an 36.7% increase in domestic abuse reported in 2020/21. The number of reports increased from 7,463 in 2019/20 to 10,203 in 2020/21. In 2020/21, there were 6,237 crimes and 3,966 ‘non-crime’ incidents reported over the 12 months.
Domestic abuse has increased across the West Midlands Police force area, with Coventry mirroring activity seen across the West Midlands. Whilst this shows a general increase of domestic abuse in Coventry, consideration is also needed for the service provision changes experienced throughout the last year as access to support and knowledge of what support is available would likely have lessened due to the lockdown imposed at the beginning of the year, therefore an increase may also signal a continued confidence in reporting.
Females accounted for the vast majority of domestic abuse offences recorded in Coventry in 2020/21, accounting for 78.5%, reflecting the gendered nature of this crime, and the disproportionate impact of violence against women and girls. However, males proportionally increased from recording 18.6% in 2019/20 to 21.5% in 2020/21.
In November-December, the Council and the city’s domestic abuse services (Coventry Haven, Valley House, Panahghar and Relate) joined global organisations and communities to raise awareness of domestic abuse; reminding communities that, while the consequences of the pandemic and lockdown measures are challenging for all of us, it can pose extra difficulties and risk for those who are living with domestic abuse. Staying indoors is even harder for people whose home is not the haven it should be and enforced isolation may increase abusive behaviour. It reduces victim’s ability to access help and support; and isolation may be used as a tool of coercive and controlling behaviour by perpetrators, as they attempt to shut down victim’s routes to safety and support.
The city’s Safeguarding Adults Board launched campaigns to ensure people experiencing domestic abuse know they can access help – and demand on the Safe to talk helpline has increased with more than 1,000 calls received since the start of Covid-19.
Additionally, an 18-week perpetrator programme, Choose2Change, has been introduced to try and stop further abuse in the future.