The provided line graph depicts the trends in burglary, car theft, and robbery offences recorded in Newport city centre between 2003 and 2012. Overall, burglary—initially the most prevalent crime—experienced a marked decline, whereas car theft, which followed a U-shaped trajectory, emerged as the most frequent offence by 2012. Robbery, being the least common category throughout the period, showed only modest fluctuations.
Burglary, which reached a high of approximately 3,750 incidents in 2004, fell steeply over the next four years to just over 1,200 by 2008. Thereafter, it recovered slightly, ending the period at about 1,350. This dramatic drop, amounting to over 60 % of its peak value, far exceeded the changes seen in the other crime types.
Car theft began at roughly 2,700 incidents in 2003 and declined to around 2,100 by 2006 before rebounding. Maintaining a steady upward trend from 2006 onwards, it rose to approximately 2,500 by 2010 and levelled off at about 2,350 in 2012. Thus, having undergone both decline and recovery, car theft became the most common offence at the close of the decade.
Robbery, which never exceeded 900 incidents, peaked in 2005 and then decreased to 500 by 2008. A gradual recovery followed, bringing the figure close to 700 by 2012. Compared with the steep fall in burglary and the U-shaped curve of car theft, robbery’s relatively minor variation highlights its status as the city centre’s least volatile crime.