Crimes against people are up 21 percent compared to this time last year, the Police revealed in their quarterly crime briefing this afternoon.

The category includes serious offences such as murder, manslaughter and serious assaults. It also includes less serious assaults.

Police stressed that although the crime level for the category is “higher than we would like”, serious assaults as a sub-category have actually gone down 28 percent.

Crimes against property — which includes burglary, criminal damage and theft of vehicles and property — is down just over four percent on this time last year.

Crimes against the community, which covers areas including firearms and other weapons, antisocial behaviour and disorder, has gone down just over 16 percent.

Traffic collisions are also down almost five percent.

For the full story and comments on the news from top Police officers, see tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette.