Colchester robberies increased faster than 385 police areas

The new figures, which cover the one-year period from September 2022 to September 2023, show the number of robberies in Colchester jumped from 138 to 188 – an increase of 36 per cent.

Across Essex, robberies rose by eight per cent, but out of the 14 Essex police districts, no area saw as steep an increase in robberies as Colchester.

The areas with the next largest increases were Harlow with 26 per cent and Tendring with 22 per cent.

Concerning – only 11 police districts in England had a greater increase in robberies than Colchester (Image: Essex Police)

Southend remains the area with Essex’s highest number of robberies, with 315 committed in the most recent annual period.

Concerningly, Colchester’s 36 per cent increase in robberies means there were only 11 police districts out of the 396 in England where there was a sharper rise in that type of crime.

The greatest rise in robberies was seen in Barnet and Welwyn Hatfield, where the number of offences for both districts rose by 52 per cent.

The other areas which saw a greater increase in robberies than Colchester’s 36 per cent were Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Gateshead, Dorset, Cheshire West and Chester, Northumberland, Milton Keynes, and Slough.

Bradley Harvey, who was a victim of a robbery in 2022 when a man stole his phone in an alleyway, said the incident left him nervous when returning to the area if the crime in East Hill.

He said: “I remember walking through the alleyway, as soon as I saw the group of men I felt suspicious – I thought about turning back but we just kept going.

“I was a bit terrified; now I always try to avoid alleyways, because that’s where these sorts of things seem to happen.

“I remember going into school the next day, I was asked a load of questions, but I didn’t want to answer them – you don’t expect this sort of thing to happen to you.”

Colchester’s overall crime rate fell by seven per cent, whilst crime across Essex fell by six per cent.

Chief Superintendent Tim Tubbs, Essex Police’s strategic force lead for robbery and burglary, said robberies in Colchester were still lower than they were five years ago.

He said: “Robbery is a violent crime that creates fear in communities and has a lasting impact on victims well beyond the economic loss of any property.

Increase – robberies in Harlow increased by 26 per cent, and in Tendring by 22 per cent (Image: Newsquest)

“We are committed to bringing offenders to justice and ensuring victims of crime receive the support they need.

“As of January 2024, robbery in Colchester and across the county is down over the last five years.

“Our officers have also solved more robbery cases, and a greater proportion of cases, than they were 12 months ago.”

Chief Sup Tubbs added bicycle thefts are down 34 per cent compared to five years ago, although the ONS data shows that between 2021-22 and 2022-23, bike thefts had increased by 25 per cent.

“We’re making strides against bicycle thefts too – this is down 14% in Colchester and 34% in the last five years, and has fallen over the last three months as well.