Kent ranks 7th in UK's most crime-ridden areas, according to new figures
Published: 09:19, 01 January 2020
Updated: 20:31, 02 January 2020
Kent is within the top 10 most crime-ridden regions in the country, new figures reveal.
According the the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the county has the seventh highest number of recorded crimes per 1,000 people at 106, while West Yorkshire tops the list at 128.
KMTV report on the statistics
The figures put the county four places higher than London, which from the 12 months to June had 99 crimes per 1,000.
Despite being seventh on the national list, ONS figures showed the county had the second highest level of violent crimes in the UK and was the most crime-ridden region in the south east.
It was also the only southern region to make the top 10 of the national list as the county battles county lines drugs gangs.
Kent had 881 reported crimes involving a knife, including attempted murder, assault with injury and robbery.
Police are stilling looking for a man in connection to the death of 35-year-old Anthony Eastwood, who was stabbed to death on Friday, December 20.
Last month a man was jailed for running a drugs network across Medway, while another was sentenced to six year in prison after being caught in Gravesend and Dartford.
A crackdown on knife crime and the use of weapons saw a scanner used at a Canterbury club.
In October it was revealed more than 100 people had been arrested in a crackdown on drug crime in the county.
Read more: All the latest news from Kent
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Sean McPolin