Former police officer Peter Bleksley has issued a stark warning about Britain's rising crime rates, stating that "criminals are getting away with it" as conviction rates continue to fall.
Speaking about newly revealed crime statistics, Bleksley criticised the "liberal leanings" and "fluffiness" that he says have gripped police leadership over recent decades.
His comments come as shocking new data reveals unprecedented levels of violent and sexual offences across England and Wales, with more than 2.2 million such crimes reported to police in 2023/24.
Reports of serious crimes including assault, GBH, murder, rape and sexual assault have tripled over the past decade.
Peter Bleksley issued a stark warning about Britain's rising crime rates
GB News
The ex-police officer told GB News: "These are predominantly crimes of violence and sexual offences that have been recorded on this interactive map.
"It doesn't go into the theft, burglary, car crime all of which are rampant in so many areas of the UK.
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"When we get the latest stats and they're regularly published, we will see there is a rise in crime and there is a drop in convictions. Quite simply that translates to criminals are getting away with it.
"There used to be an expression that I was raised with that was 'the crime doesn't pay,' but sadly, in this day and age in the United Kingdom, it very much does.
"Until our police services abandon the pokery, the liberal leanings, the fluffiness of the last couple of decades that have gripped their corridors of power.
"Until we get a police service that actually reconnects with the public and does what the public wants, not what little vocal specialised interest groups force them into doing, but what the broad, moderate mainstream of Britain.
"Your listeners, your viewers, people that I interact with on a daily basis until we get a police service providing this, then quite sadly, the subject, the matter, the situation is simply going to get worse."
The concerning statistics have emerged as part of a comprehensive analysis of crime rates across 37,000 neighbourhoods in England and Wales.
The scale of crime in the New Street area is unprecedented, with 1,782 violent or sexual crimes committed in just one-fifth of a square mile throughout 2024.
This equates to approximately 8,500 violent crimes per square mile in the area patrolled by West Midlands Police.
The scale of crime in the New Street area is unprecedented
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When measured against the local population of around 1,200 residents, the crime rate stands at 1,441 per 1,000 residents.
This figure is more than double that of England's second most dangerous neighbourhood, an area in Doncaster, which recorded 766 crimes per 1,000 residents.
Officials note that areas with high footfall, such as transport hubs and retail centres, typically show inflated crime rates as incidents are recorded where they occur rather than by perpetrator or victim address.
