Tab Crime Watch

The Tab gives you the latest crime stats in Exeter

| UPDATED assault crime danger sexual assault violence

The latest crime rates spell good news for students worried about getting their cars keyed or their bikes nicked. However, sexual offences have risen and, with our streetlights still in danger, The Tab urges you to make sure you get home safely.

Crime in Devon and Cornwall has dropped by 5.5% over the last nine months, according to police figures.

The report shows that some 4054 fewer crimes were committed than in the same period the previous year.

This would be promising news if it weren’t for the fact that sexual offences have risen by a shockingly similar statistic. There were 77 more instances than normal over the past nine months, meaning a rise of 5.1%.

Information from police.uk, a website that allows you to monitor rates of crime in your area, provides some concerning information. Violent crimes, which include sexual offences, make up a large proportion of the crimes committed within a mile radius of the university.

The map for ‘violent crime’ in November 2012 shows the hotspots are near the city centre’s nightlife locations

In October 2012 nearly 17.5% of crimes near campus were under the ‘Violent crime’ heading: 79 violent of 450 total crimes.

The most recent available crime map shows that most of November 2012’s violent crimes near campus took place very close to the EX4-Roccocos-Mosaic area and Timepiece, whilst the Arena area was relatively untargeted.

A closer look at the Arena area shows that it is not as dangerous as other club locations, but suggests students should steer clear of Verney St and Red Lion Lane

For both months, the only crime types that rated higher near campus were ASBOs and ‘other theft’, which doesn’t include burglary, shoplifting or car crime.

Assistant Chief Constable for Crime and Justice Chris Boarland seems pretty happy with the general reduction in crime, but admits that sexual offence statistics in Devon and Cornwall are becoming a growing concern.