The most common type of crime was anti-social behaviour, with 361 incidents being recorded during the month, followed by 264 instances of violent and sexual offences.
The area in and around the main Eldon Square shopping area was identified as the city centre’s hotspot for August, with 56 offences recorded. Half of these were shoplifting, while 10 were reports of anti-social behaviour, and nine violent or sexual crimes.
The statistics published by ChronicleLive, which were based on official police crime logs from police.uk, showed that Bigg Market saw the second highest amount of crime in August with 49 instances.
Nine offences were also recorded as occurring in Leazes Park, which is concerning given its proximity to many student accommodation sites including Castle Leazes, Marris House and Park View Student Village. These include two drugs offences and two cases of possession of a weapon.
In the year ending March 2019, the wider area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne had a slightly crime rate than the national average, with 144.32 police recorded crimes per 1000 population
In the year ending March 2019, the wider area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne had a slightly crime rate than the national average, with the Toon experiencing 144.32 police recorded crimes per 1000 population, compared to the average of 119.88 for its Most Similar Group, constituted of areas most similar to each other based on an analysis of crime-related demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Of these 144.32 crimes per 1000 in Newcastle, 44.75 were crimes of a violent or sexual nature. Perhaps surprisingly, Newcastle-upon-Tyne was recorded as having the higher crime rate of the area covered by the Northumbria Police Force, with Sunderland witnessing 120.38 police recorded crimes per 1000 population and Gateshead experiencing 105.69. The Northumbria Force covers an area of 2144 square miles which encompasses a population of 1.45m, with there currently being 3.27 police employees per 1000 residents.