Crime in Suffolk fell during April as the coronavirus lockdown brought about falls in shoplifting, criminal damage and violence.

The number of reported incidents was down 17% on the previous month - from 4,982 in March to 4,137 in April, figures from the Police Data website showed.

The most dramatic fall was in shoplifting, which dropped by 70% - not much of a surprise, given the vast majority of stores were forced to close under lockdown rules.

Violence and sexual offences also fell by 20%, from 2,062 incidents in March to 1,652 in April.

Vehicle crime was down 34% and criminal damage and arson fell by 27% - and although the number of anti-social behaviour incidents rose 31% month-on-month, many of these were breaches of lockdown laws.

Police handed out 175 fixed penalty notices for breaching lockdown regulations between April 3 and April 23.

In total, there were 727 reports of anti-social behaviour during April.

A spokesman for Suffolk Constabulary said: “It’s important to note that the many of the reported breaches of the regulations will have been recorded as anti-social behaviour – hence the increase in this figure.

“In the current climate, residents should rest assured that we continue to proactively police the county and we have had some excellent results with drug dealers, burglars and other offenders being arrested and charged.

“Our partnership work is also continuing, despite the current challenges, thanks to the strong support we receive from a range of partners in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

“With the majority of people following government advice and staying home, with no retail businesses open and no night-time economy, these sustained falls should come as no surprise to us.

“The public have remained compliant, and we need to again thank them for being patient as the lockdown gradually eases.”