THREE of the busiest streets in Cardiff have seen significant increases in reported crime.
A Freedom of Information Request by the Cardiffian showed Queen Street, Newport Road and St Mary’s Street have seen a 34% increase in crime in the last four years.
Despite the rise, the numbers of incidents reported overall on the 10 streets with the most crime actually fell by 1.25% in the last 12 months.
By far the biggest rise since 2012 came on Newport Road, which was the highest ranked street outside of the city centre and experienced a 58% rise in reported crime.
The top five streets have been reasonably constant since 2010 and are dominated by the areas with the most nightlife. However there are three newcomers this year. Castle Street, Ferry Road and Park place have made way for Mill Lane, Albany Road and Cowbridge Road East.
South Wales Police were unable to comment on the significant rises on certain streets.
Apart from crime simply increasing there are a number of reasons behind changes in figures. The UK Statistics Authority, which acts as the watchdog for the publication of official data, named changes in recording methods as a possible factor.
Cardiff also hosted parts of the Rugby World Cup this year which brought large numbers of extra people into the city – though events do not necessarily increase crime rates with London seeing a 6% drop during the 2012 Olympics.
