Biscuit-throwing incident recorded as violent crime

A man being hit with a biscuit has been recorded as a violent crime by police in Norfolk, it has been revealed.

Norfolk's Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Bett has revealed the "jaw-dropping" examples of incidents which are now being labelled as violent crimes.

The incidents have contributed to a 14% rise in crime in Norfolk, Mr Bett said.

Other examples of "violent crime" recorded in the last 12 months include:

• A woman threw a biscuit at a man which hit him leaving a small red mark - this was recorded as Actual Bodily Harm (ABH)

• A young child was bought a boxing glove by his parents. He was swinging it round and caught his small sibling with it - this was recorded as ABH

• Two children were playing together and one brushed a stinging nettle across the others arm - this was recorded as ABH

• Two children were playing together doing wheelies on bikes. Whilst doing this one of them rides into his mate. This was recorded as an assault

In another incident, Mr Bett said a member of the public reported seeing a mum slap her three-year-old child on the hand as they left a shop.

The police investigated and it transpired that the child had taken a bar of chocolate from the shop and hidden it in their clothes.

The mum gave the child a single slap on the hand and made them return the chocolate bar to the shop.

The police had to record this as an assault by the mum on the child and shoplifting by the child.

Mr Bett said he struggled to see how someone being hit by a biscuit should be recorded as a violent crime.

Mr Bett was told that more and more incidents were now falling into the violent crime category due to a change in the way the force had to record certain crimes.

“There is a danger that when people see a raw headline that ‘violent crime is up in Norfolk’ the fear of crime could rise. That is why I feel it is important to highlight this issue and make people aware,” Mr Bett added.