THE number of crimes recorded in Greater Manchester rose by more than 10 per cent in 2016.

Latest figures show that excluding fraud 245,269 crimes were recorded by Greater Manchester Police in 2016, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous year.

However, Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has said that improvements in how crime is recorded and increased confidence in the public to come forward are ‘positive factors’ in why the increase has taken place.

The ONS also said that an actual increase in knife crime and the change in the way crime is recorded had led to the number of recorded crimes going up.

Of the offences committed, 59,665 were classed as violent crimes, an increase of 20 per cent from 2015.

Also on the up was robbery, with an increase of 18 per cent, and sexual violence with an increase of 14 per cent.

Theft rose by four per cent, burglary by three per cent, vehicle crime by two per cent and shoplifting by three per cent.

Thefts continue to make up the largest portion of crimes committed, with 109,736 recorded in Greater Manchester.

Mr Lloyd said: “These figures are no surprise, and reflect the direction of travel since recorded crime began to rise in 2015.

“While improvements to how police record crime and increased confidence in the public to come forward and report crime are a positive factor, local communities will still be rightly concerned about the increasing demand being put on GMP.

“Greater Manchester is a challenging area to police. More complex crimes, such as child sexual exploitation and cybercrime, combined with shrinking resources across the public sector, continue to put unrelenting pressure on our police service.

“Throughout my term of office I have been a strong voice for local people, calling on ministers to give our communities a fair deal. Despite the challenges, the embedding of strong partnership working across Greater Manchester, not least with local communities, has transformed the way police and other public services work, delivering a better, more effective service for our residents. But we still need the support and investment from central government if GMP is to continue keeping our streets and homes safe.”

In England as a whole, crime rose by 10 per cent in 2016, which meant that Greater Manchester’s rise is just above the national average.

The National Police Chiefs Council said that in England and Wales crime levels were ‘broadly stable compared with recent years’.

It added that an increase to gun and knife crime is a ‘key priority’ for police.

Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, Steve White, said that the increase was worrying but not surprising.