Crime falls again
Monday April 27, 2009
Violent crime has fallen dramatically in the past year according to latest Police figures.
Gun crime has halved, with 34 fewer offences compared to last year, and knife crime has gone down by 95 offences – a 26 per cent decrease. Youth Violence has tumbled 15 per cent – a decrease of 71 offences.
Overall there have been 4,000 fewer victims of crimes in the past three years according to Police Borough Commander, Kevin Hurley. He said: “There have been massive reductions in street robberies, house burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles. What is particularly good news is that violent crime involving youths, guns and knives are also down.
“The reality is that this borough is now a much safer place than a few years ago.”
The council has welcomed the figures but warned there is more to do. Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, Cllr Greg Smith, said: “There is still a lot of work to do but the Police are on the right track. While one crime is one too many, these impressive falls across the board speak for themselves.
“Last month I announced an extra £1.1 million for more town centre beat Police so that all three of the borough's town centres now have an elite squad of council funded beat bobbies. In total the council is now paying for 50 extra bobbies and these positive results prove the borough is getting safer every year.”
Year-on-year falls in robbery, burglary and theft from motor vehicles mean it is officially safer to live or work in the borough.
Experts say the falls in key crime areas could have been even higher had Westfield London – Europe’s biggest inner-city shopping centre – not opened in October 2008.
Cllr Smith concludes: “There is no negotiation with criminals in H&F – If you are breaking the law, we will catch you.”
A breakdown of the Police figures reveals that 123 more drug users and drug dealers were taken off the streets – with drug arrests up from 2,009 to 2,132. There were 229 fewer residential burglaries, with the number of motor-vehicle crimes also plummeting from 3,455 to 2,776.
