Calderdale has one of the highest rates of burglary in England and Wales, latest crime figures show

There were 1,699 household break-ins between April 2017 and March 2018, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

This means that eight out of every 1,000 people in Calderdale reported a burglary, one of the highest rates in England and Wales.

The statistics are based on crimes recorded by the police, and the ONS urges caution in interpreting some of these figures.

Read: Man given conditional discharge for £150 of criminal damage and other Calderdale court casesSome offences go unreported while others may be more numerous due to a change in the focus of the police or greater public attention.

However statisticians said there appears to be a genuine rise in burglary as it is a crime that's "relatively well-reported by the public and relatively well-recorded by the police".

Caroline Youell, from the ONS, said: "Most people don’t experience crime. The figures show a fairly stable picture in England and Wales for most crime types. It is too early to say if this is a change to the long-term declining trend.

"We have seen continued increases in some theft offences such as vehicle-related theft and burglary, while computer viruses have fallen.

"There have also been increases in some lower-volume 'high-harm' offences such as homicide and knife crime, consistent with rises over the past three years. However, the latest rise in gun crime is much smaller than previously seen."

Across England and Wales there was a 16 per cent increase in offences with knives or sharp objects and a 12 per cent rise in homicides - murders and manslaughters - excluding charges from the Hillsborough disaster and terror attacks.

Read: Hundreds of days a month lost to bed blocking at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust, according to figuresOverall, police recorded crime in Calderdale increased in 2017-18. During the last year 22,462 crimes were recorded, up by 8 per cent on 2016-17.

That means there was a rate of 107 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2017-18, above the England and Wales average of 82.

Despite nationally rising, gun and knife possession offences in Calderdale have dropped by three, to 130 incidents.

There have been four homicides, which are murders or manslaughters. There were two cases of death or injury by dangerous driving.

Theft, one of the most high volume crimes, has decreased by 5 per cent. Drugs related offences slightly dropped by 2.8 per cent.

According to the ONS police numbers are at their lowest level since 1996, when comparable records began, and nearly half of investigations into recorded crimes are closed without a suspect being identified.

Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "We take rises in crime very seriously. Police forces are targeting crime hotspots, using powers of stop and search and active engagement with communities to prevent violence.

"The causes and drivers of rising violence and related crimes are complex, and so the solutions must focus on early intervention and involve a range of action from government, education, health, social services, housing and victim services.

"To bring down robbery and burglary police target prolific offenders and links to organised crime but we also need the public to help by taking simple crime prevention measures."

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