CRIME in Dorset has reduced by more than nine per cent, new figures reveal.

Violence against the person and sexual offences were among the offences to fall.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics show that Dorset Police has seen a drop in overall crime for the fourth consecutive quarter.

The latest figures show that compared to national data, Dorset saw a reduction in sexual offences of 12.2 per cent, compared to a reduction of 7.3 per cent nationally. Similarly, Dorset saw a reduction in violence against the persons of 3.3 per cent, compared to an increase nationally of 1.9 per cent.

Deputy Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: "2020 was a challenging year for everyone, and officers and staff worked hard to meet the new challenges of policing the pandemic whilst also maintaining a visible police presence, reducing and investigating crime, safeguarding the vulnerable and working with local communities to keep them safe”.

"All crime matters to our communities, and we will maintain our focus on providing outstanding service to the people of Dorset, particularly those who are most vulnerable."

The figures reveal the total number of crimes reported reduced from 54,388 to 49,351 over the 12 months, reducing 6.5 crimes per 1,000 population.

Deputy Chief Constable Chilton hopes the reduction can help to give members of the public confidence that the police is focusing on the crimes that matter. He said: "Reducing crime is important to everyone. I hope this latest reduction will help to reassure our communities that we are working with them and our partners to focus on what matters."