11/4/2008

Local News in Fleet

Police claim statistics show big drop in crime

The number of people falling victim to crime in north and east Hampshire dropped by 4,000 in the last year.

Figures for the period between April 1 2007 and March 31 2008 showed a 12% decrease on figures from the previous year.

Statistics for the operational command unit (OCU) which covers Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Hart and Rushmoor showed there were 30,505 crimes. Among the areas where crime dropped was violent crime, down 10%, burglary, down 22%, criminal damage, down 16%, and vehicle crime, down 7.5%.

OCU commander Chief Supt Mark Chatterton said: “Despite serving a population of around half a million people covering 500 square miles, we have the lowest crime rate per 1,000 in the two counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“In excess of 4,000 people who were victims last year have not been this year.

“Of those victims, several hundred less have been from burglary, one of our priorities for the area.

“I am delighted with our performance this year and want to thank all police officers and staff on the OCU who have helped to achieve this.

“Similarly, we have had great support from our partners and the public, for which I am immensely grateful.

“I am confident that we can maintain this effort to continue to deliver a really responsive, quality police service for our communities.”

The reduction in the North and East Hampshire OCU echoes wider statistics for Hampshire as a whole.

Throughout the county, crime is down by 8.8%, with 15,954 fewer offences committed than in the previous year.

The total number of offences committed in the county during the 12-month period was 164,940.

Of those, 42,422 were violent crimes (down 2,007), 5,300 house burglaries (down 151) and 17,781 vehicle crimes (down 4,034).

Figures also show the police are doing a good job of catching those responsible for committing crime in Hampshire.

The overall detection rate rose from 21.6% to 26.5% and the violent crime detection rate went up from 42.3% to 44.9%.

For the second year running, Hampshire had the fewest house burglaries when compared with a group of similar force areas around the country.

Its house burglary detection rate is the second highest in this group and the force has the fewest vehicle crimes.

Specialised units tackling the most serious crimes dealt with 1,246 incidents and achieved a 57.2% detection rate.

Hampshire Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan said: “The constabulary’s achievements in both reducing crime and increasing our detection rates speak volumes for the commitment and professionalism of all my officers and staff and the partner agencies with whom we collaborate.

“I am particularly pleased with the commitment from the independent British Crime Survey, which provides evidence that our achievements and commitment are recognised by the communities we serve.

“Statistics alone can never convey the full reality of policing, just as examination results can never fully reflect the ethos and success of schools.

“However, statistics do provide an objective overview of force performance and help the public to put our achieve-ments into context.

“The last 12 months have been a signal year of achievement but behind the statistics are human stories of tragedy and associated good police work.”

Hampshire Police Authority chairman Cllr Jacqui Rayment said: “We have just completed a very successful year for Hampshire Constabulary in performance terms and are particularly pleased at the improvement in detections.

“Independent surveys tell us that Hampshire and Isle of Wight citizens feel safer and have more confidence in the police than in most of the country.

“As a police authority we are not complacent about these results, and in the coming year have asked the constabulary to pay particular attention to a few areas where we can improve still further.

“These are highlighted in the recently published Policing Plan.

“However, now is a time to say thank you to all the officers and staff of Hampshire Con-stabulary for all their consider-able efforts, and to our colleagues in crime and disorder reduction partnerships and other partnerships for their support in making Hampshire a safer place.”

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail