VIOLENT crime in Gwent increased by around seven per cent in 2021.

Recently-released data from the Office for National Statistics show that almost every type of violent crime recorded increased in Gwent in 2021 compared with 2020.

A total of 20,190 crimes in which violence was used against someone were reported in Gwent in 2021 - an increase of 1,321 from the previous year.

The biggest increase was in violent crimes in which the victim was left uninjured, with 6,885 such incidents recorded in 2021.

In 2020, there were 6,161 crimes of this nature recorded, meaning there was an increase of just under 12 per cent.

However, the number of incidents in which a victim was injured also increased, with an 11 per cent increase, with 5,432 incidents recorded in 2021.

By comparison, there were 4,905 such incidents in 2020.

Although reports of stalking and harassment increased by only a small amount, this remained the violent crime most often recorded, with 7,859 incidents in 2021 - though this is still the lowest amount recorded by Welsh police forces.

There were more than twice as many homicides recorded, with eight in 2021 compared to three in 2020.

The only type of violent crime to not increase was death or serious injury by unlawful driving, which remained at six.

Temporary assistant chief constable of Gwent Police, Mark Hobrough, said: "As the pandemic restrictions eased nationally and locally, we’ve seen reported crime return to pre-pandemic levels including increased reporting of violent crime.

"This period has also seen increased reporting of stalking and harassment offences.

"Such acts will receive full investigative responses but it is reassuring to see that victims have increased confidence to report these types of incidents, the kind of which Gwent Police have no tolerance for.

"We’re committed to protecting and reassuring all our communities while working with our partners to ensure Gwent continues to be among the safest places to live and work.

"We’re determined to keep our streets as free from crime as possible and our work never stops in that regard."

Despite there being an increase in recorded violent crime in Gwent, the increase across England and Wales as a whole is much higher.

There were 2,017,307 violent crimes recorded in England and Wales in 2021, which is an increase of around 13 per cent from 2020.

It was also noted in the data that Gwent had fewer violent crimes than initially predicted by the Home Office, but public order offences were higher than expected.

Police and Crime commissioner Jeff Cuthbert said: "The removal of Covid regulations has led to a predicted rise across the country in certain types of crime that had previously fallen while restrictions were in place.

"This is due in part to people being able to mix freely again and to victims having more opportunities to report crime.

"Gwent Police has also been doing a huge amount to work to encourage victims of all crimes to come forward.

"While Gwent continues to have one of the lowest levels of crime in the UK, and serious violence in particular is rare, we won’t be complacent and will continue to monitor crime trends carefully."