Crime reports during lockdown in Borehamwood and Elstree dropped to the lowest levels for a year, police data has shown.

Figures from Police UK show a total of 296 crimes were reported to police in April, which was a drop of 120 from the previous month.

The most common crimes reported in April were anti-social behaviour (107), violent and sexual offences (66), and criminal damage and arson (26).

Anti-social behaviour neither increased nor decreased in April when you compare it to the monthly average, but violent and sexual offences were down nearly 40 per cent.

Some other crime types were down, as you would expect, like shoplifting, vehicle theft, and other kinds of theft as the graph below shows.

The police data also shows the areas mostly affected by crime in Borehamwood.

There were 37 reports in the Leeming Road area, including six each for anti-social behaviour and public order.

The data shows 21 reports in the Brook Road area near Meadow Park, of which seven were for anti-social behaviour and six were for violent or sexual offences.

Seventeen reports were made in the area around Elstree & Borehamwood station, of which eight were for anti-social behaviour.

The Studio Way area reported 16 crimes, of which 13 were for anti-social behaviour.

Seven shoplifting offences were reported at Tesco or near Borehamwood Shopping Park, while there were seven reports of anti-social behaviour near Ripon Park, which was down from 25 the previous month.

The town centre saw the biggest drop in crime in April - mainly because of less shoplifting.

Police UK data shows 33 crime reports in Elstree, which, according to the data is normal, if not a little higher than usual for the village.

Since May last year, the monthly average of crime reports in Borehamwood and Elstree works out at 419 - there have been some months where crime is high like in July and August last year with 482 and 447 crime reports respectively.

Some months over the last year have seen crime dip, for example in December, when 332 crimes were reported.

April's total of 296 is a 29 per cent drop in reported crime in Borehamwood and Elstree compared to the previous 11 months, and the same decrease between March and April.

Throughout the whole of April, lockdown measures were at the most severe with people only allowed out for essential reasons - so you'd expect crime numbers to be much lower.

But data from our sister paper the Watford Observer shows that areas like Bushey, West Watford, North Watford, and Rickmansworth, all experienced a smaller decrease in crime reports than Borehamwood and Elstree - although these areas do report less crime generally.

Only Watford town centre saw a bigger decrease in crime reports in April - 53 per cent compared to the previous 11 months.