Crime down in Warwickshire
The chances of being a victim of crime in Warwickshire have fallen, according to figures published today, with recorded crime down by more than 5% compared to last year.
Warwickshire is already one of the safest places to live in the country, with a crime rate of 83 per 1000 population as opposed to a national average of more than 100 per 1000 population.
The county is also bucking the national trend when it comes to violent crime. The last national figures available showed violent crime was up by 7%, and this upward trend is likely to be confirmed by new figures out later this week. But in Warwickshire, violent crime is down by nearly 6%.
The statistics published today give details of the force's performance between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2005, against the key policing priorities that were set at the beginning of the year, and a break down of crime in each of the policing districts across the county.
Last year across Warwickshire:
- Domestic burglary was reduced by 16.5%, against a target of 7.7% reduction
- Vehicle crime was reduced by 8.4%, against a target of restricting any increase to 2.1%
- Public violence and disorder was down by 19%, well over the target reduction of 5%
- 57 offenders were brought to justice for supply of heroin and cocaine, exceeding the target of 50, and 11 more than last year.
There were 2,594 fewer crimes overall (total 43,131). Vehicle crimes were down by 745 (total 6,644); 273 less homes were broken into (total 2,666); there were 1,532 fewer incidents of public violence and disorder (total 8,993).
The picture is positive across the whole county, with crime down in each of the five districts policed by the force. The only exceptions to this were a marginal rise in the number of vehicle crimes recorded in the Stratford District, which went up by eight offences, and a rise in the number of violent crimes recorded in Rugby by 68 offences (5.28%), although the majority of these were minor assaults, and public violence and disorder showed a dramatic 22.7% fall in the district, with 445 fewer offences recorded.
It is important that the force's records are as accurate as possible. In December, an Audit Commission report gave Warwickshire Police the green light for the way in which it records crime data, one of only 17 forces to achieve this grading which means that "a good standard of crime recording has been achieved", and that the force is fully compliant with the National Crime Recording Standard.
In addition to the crime reduction targets, the number of people killed or seriously injured on Warwickshire's roads also reduced by 27.7%.
And Communications Centre staff also exceeded the target for answering to 999 calls, with 94.64% of the 80,032 999s received by the force being answered within 15 seconds, against a target of 90%. Performance on answering non-urgent calls was also above target, with 83.55% of the 714,729 calls answered within 25 seconds, against a target of 80%.
Chief Constable of Warwickshire John Burbeck said: "This is really positive news for the people of Warwickshire. Crime in the county is already low - only about three quarters of the national average - and we are still bringing it down.
"We have made a real impact on the issues that people have told us are important to them. People are safer in their own homes, the streets in our town centres are safer, as are our roads.
"The overall reduction in crime is particularly welcome given that we have also had a number of successful prosecutions following lengthy and complex major investigations during the year. It is testament to the hard work of our staff, alongside the contributions of partner agencies, that we have achieved such good results.
"I am grateful for the cooperation and contribution of the public, either in organised groups such as Neighbourhood Watch, or as individuals reporting crime or coming forward to be witnesses during prosecutions.
"In the coming year we will aim to reduce crime by a further 5%, and will also be focusing on increasing the satisfaction of people who call on our services. The excellent performance in the Communications Centre is the start of this drive to give a citizen focus to the service we provide.
"For example, we are looking at how we can further improve the way in which we support victims of crime and keep them informed about the progress of our investigations.
"In this way we intend to continue to reduce crime, increase public satisfaction with policing and ensure that local people feel confident and safe in their neighbourhoods."
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