The number of recorded crimes in Lincolnshire has gone up by 32% - the biggest increase of 43 police force areas in England and Wales.
New figures from The Office of National Statistics show that Lincolnshire had 55,994 recorded crimes in the year to end of June 2019.
Of these 19,485 were offences of 'violence against person' which, although the lowest of the five East Midlands police areas, is an 86% increase on the previous year and the highest year-on-year percentage increase of all 43 police areas.
Cleveland had the second highest increase of 49%.
Lincolnshire also notched up England and Wales' highest percentage increase for stalking and harassment at 247% (4,767 recorded crimes) and violence without injury at 102% (8,645 recorded crimes).
Other recorded crime figure percentages that have increased include:
- sexual offences up 36% (2,188)
- violence against person with injury up 25% (6,042)
- robbery up 35% (356)
- public order offences up 129% (3,978)
- possession of weapons offences up 33% (580)
- drug offences up 16% (1,937)
A Lincolnshire Police spokesman told Grantham Nub News: "On paper these figures can look shocking, but such a leap is often down to something as simple as an administrative change, and that can explain the figures here.
"We communicated some months ago that we had changed our crime recording practices to ensure that we were not missing out any offences that victims might have been subject to.
"For example, someone reporting a domestic abuse might previously have only had one incident recorded that included detail of different instances of abuse, whereas now we record three or four different offences, dependent upon the situation.
"That will make the figures rise drastically.
"What it actually means for victims though is that they are receiving a better service.
"They are getting better access to support services and we are making sure that where appropriate offenders are held to account for a number of offences, and not just one or two.
"We have also found that people are more confident and comfortable to report offences to us because they know they will be investigated thoroughly.
"We continue to listen and learn and try to improve the service we provide to victims."
Lincolnshire saw just three reductions in crime figures year-on-year.
The total number of burglaries dropped 4% (4,287) and of these house burglaries are down by 6% (2,960) - although non-residential burglaries have gone up by 2% (1,327).
The number of recorded vehicle offences also dropped by 5% (3,079), with the national picture showing a rise of 3%.
Temporary Chief Constable Jason Harwin said: "It's encouraging to see drops in both burglaries and vehicle offences.
"However, I am well aware that many of the other areas show an increase in recorded crime and that's something we, as a service and with partners, are working hard to understand and address.
"We don't just see the numbers, we see the victims who have been affected by crime. It's crucial that we provide each and every victim with the service they deserve.
"When I look at the people behind the figures, this year we have 31,000 people who have reported one or more crimes to us. That figure is too high, working with my colleagues both in the force and partners, we must bring that figure down.
"The increase in serious offences is concerning, not just to me but to every other Chief Officer and law enforcement agency throughout England and Wales because the increase is a national one, and extensive work is underway to try and understand and tackle the issues.
"Better reporting mechanisms can explain some of the increase, here in Lincolnshire we have tightened our recording practices meaning we are recording more offences, but it doesn't explain it all away.
"There have been genuine rises in some of the areas we have seen in the county such as weapons offences and robberies."
Lincolnshire Police recently received confirmation it will receive Government funding for 50 extra officers.
"We will make sure we place them in areas where there is the most need," said Temporary Chief Constable Harwin.
"We have ongoing work to understand our demand and where the biggest threats are in the county and we will make sure we place our people in those areas - either physically or devoted to certain types of crime.
"Also, our technology helps bolster our less-than-ample resources. We have made investments in our tech to ensure our officers are out in the communities where they serve for as long as possible without the need to return to a station to complete paperwork, for example, and we will continue to balance demand against our available resources.
"In short, we are working hard to address and tackle these rises. We know that serious crime is a concern to people in Lincolnshire and while we have seen rises that does not mean we are not a safe county in which to live and work, and we will continue make sure that is the case."
