THE number of reported violent crimes, sex attacks, robberies and burglaries in Waltham Forest all rose last year.

A report from the Home Office published this week has revealed that in 2009/10 there were 313 recorded sexual offences compared to 229 the year before – which, at 37 per cent, is one of the highest increases in the capital.

In neighbouring Redbridge sex crimes dropped by 12 per cent.

The report also states there were more than 5,800 violent attacks, a rise of four per cent, 1,650 robberies, an increase of 11 per cent, and 2,320 burglaries, a rise of seven per cent.

The only category where there was a drop in offences was thefts of motor vehicles, which saw a 13 per cent fall.

However there was a staggering 98 per cent rise in crimes involving “interfering” with motor vehicles, up to 129 incidents from 65 the previous year.

Overall, a comparison analysis between recorded offences and data from the British Crime Survey, which probes a random sample of the population to estimate crime rates including incidents that go unreported to the police, concluded that there were about 15,829 incidents in the borough in 2009/10 compared to 15,762 the year before.

Have you been a victim of crime in Waltham Forest over the past year? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625 or via email at dbinns@london.newsquest.co.uk