Stalking and harassment offences rise in Newquay despite overall fall in crime

Stalking and harassment offences in Newquay rose sharply during September, despite a significant fall in overall recorded crime following the busy summer season.

Figures released by Newquay Police Inspector Steve Johnson show 32 stalking and harassment offences were recorded in September, compared with 19 in August – an increase of 68%.

However, the latest figure remains below the 37 offences recorded in July.

Inspector Johnson confirmed that half of September's reports were specifically classified as stalking.

"I know the stalking reports are of particular interest so the breakdown shows 16 of the 32 are stalking offences; the rest being harassment type offences," he said.

Three of the stalking offences were graded as high risk, with a suspect arrested in each case, either at the time or within 24 hours.

Overall crime falls following summer season

Despite the increase in stalking and harassment reports, overall recorded crime in Newquay fell considerably during September.

Police recorded 198 offences, compared with 289 in August and 251 in July.

The September figure was also close to the 194 offences recorded during the same month last year.

Inspector Johnson said the reduction followed a familiar seasonal pattern as visitor numbers declined after the summer holidays.

"We are heading in the same vein as we have in previous years following the influx of visitors to the town during the busy summer months," he said.

Among the largest reductions were violence offences.

Violence with injury fell from 43 offences in August to 19 in September, while violence without injury dropped from 51 to 38.

Drug possession offences also fell sharply, from 25 to three, while public order offences declined from 23 to 16.

However, bicycle thefts increased from zero in August to three in September.

Eight hate crimes recorded

Inspector Johnson also confirmed that eight hate crimes were recorded in Newquay during September.

Four involved public order offences and were all race-related.

The remaining four were recorded across different crime categories, involving one transgender-related incident, one relating to mental health, one disability-related incident and one involving sexual orientation.

The inspector said some incidents may be perceived as hate crimes by victims even where particular words were not necessarily used at the time.

He added that all eight incidents would receive additional attention from the force's Diverse Communities Team, with victims offered support from other agencies where appropriate.

Police prepare for Christmas period

With the summer season over, Newquay Police say planning is already under way for the Christmas period.

Officers have been visiting schools and colleges to deliver education and engagement sessions covering drink spiking, consent and the dangers of electric bikes and scooters.

The town is also preparing to welcome three new Police Community Support Officers over the coming months.

Inspector Johnson said they were currently undergoing training and would receive further mentoring before joining the team.