Study shows fewer people are being injured in violent attacks

A recent study from Cardiff University shows that the number of people injured in serious violence in England and Wales fell by 1.7 per cent in 2018.

Researchers looked at the number of admissions to A&E departments by people that were injured in violent attacks.

The figures give a different picture to police data, which shows that incidents of violent crime increased in the same period.

I would like to reassure residents that the chances of being the victim of a violent attack in Gwent is extremely low. We also have one of the lowest levels of knife crime in the UK.

The Cardiff University research supports this and highlights how difficult it is to paint an accurate picture of violent crime in our communities. 

An increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police does not necessarily mean that the level of crime has increased.

Factors such as changes to the way crimes are categorised, improvements in the accuracy of crime recording within police forces, and increased public awareness of certain crime types can all lead to an increase in the figures.

We will never be complacent and will continue to invest in priority areas to make Gwent safer but I hope that this independent research provides some reassurance to our residents.