FIFTEEN per cent of people living in the Thames Valley have been a victim of crime this year.

According to Thames Valley Police – which covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire – the area is a 'safe place'.

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They say: "We are policing in challenging times with increased demand, financial uncertainty and a changing crime landscape.

"Importantly the Thames Valley remains a safe place to live, work and visit with low crime rates compared to other parts of the UK and figures from the ONS highlights the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime has fallen, as only 1.5 in 10 adults were a victim of crime this year compared to 4 in 10 in 1995.”

The number of people caught in possession of weapons – like a knife or a gun – has risen dramatically in a year.

In July this year, 11 people were caught carrying a weapon, eight up on 2018.

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A force spokesperson suggested the rocketing figures could be put down to an increase in police tactics to catch people like stop and searches and knife arches.

They explained: "Due to applying more proactive policing tactics such as increasing the level of stop and search, the use of knife arches, test purchasing, weapons sweeps and other preventative measures we have seen a 23.8 per cent increase in possession of weapons.

"The impact of this is a reduction of weapons in our communities and in the first quarter of this year we have seen an 8.9% reduction in the level of knife crime when compared to the same period in 2018."