CRIME in Dorset has rocketed by 12 per cent in the first increase for more than 18 years.

Chief Constable Debbie Simpson has moved to reassure the public, blaming changes to the way crime is recorded and claiming the public's faith in the police has led to more offences being reported.

She stressed Dorset is still one of the safest places in the country and said a 20 per cent increase in sexual offences can be linked to historic sexual offences since the high-profile inquiry into Jimmy Savile.

Figures also reveal a 30 per cent increase in violent crime but reductions in some offences, including burglary which has gone down eight per cent.

Dorset is one of 29 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales to see an increase in crime.

The Chief Constable said: "The number of crimes reported has increased by 12 per cent comparing April to June 2015 with the same period last year. "This is mostly due to an increase in lower level, higher volume crimes, changes to our crime recording system and as a result of the increased faith people have in the police when it comes to reporting non-recent sexual offences and domestic abuse.

"Despite this increase in reported crime, I can confidently say that Dorset remains an incredibly safe place to live, work and visit. I am also pleased to see that we are experiencing improved satisfaction from victims in how we respond to and investigate crimes, and that confidence in policing reported by the wider public is also increasing.

"This demonstrates that the people of Dorset continue to feel safe in the knowledge that the Force will deal with crime effectively. We will always strive to protect local people and keep crime levels low."

Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill added: "As PCC, I have always been clear to the people of Dorset that I believed reported crime would show an increase during my term of office. This is because crime cannot continue to go down indefinitely – 18 years of decreasing crime in Dorset is an astonishing result.

"The local rise also sits against a backdrop of crime increasing across the country, so we must not lose sight that Dorset is still one of the safest counties in England and Wales.

"The public can also be reassured that Dorset Police and other forces are now recording crime more fully and accurately than ever before. Because of local and national pressure, a call which, two years ago may have been considered as 'information only' or an 'incident' is now recorded as a crime."