County crime figures show decrease for sixth year running
Wednesday, 18th April 2012.
End-of-year figures show that crime in Suffolk has fallen for the sixth consecutive year according to Suffolk Police, despite them facing significant financial challenges.
The figures, from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012, show there were 45,641 crimes recorded in Suffolk – 716 fewer crimes than in the same period the previous year, demonstrating that Suffolk remains a safe place to live, work and visit.
As well as the decrease in overall crime across the county the latest figures also show:
Domestic burglary has decreased by two per cent (99 fewer crimes);
Vehicle crime decreased by two per cent (88 fewer crimes);
Criminal damage saw a decrease of 11 per cent (1,112 fewer crimes), with incidents of arson equally seeing a decrease of 11 per cent (56 fewer crimes);
Robbery, which is a priority for the force, increased by nine per cent (28 more crimes) but solved robbery incidents increased by 19 per cent (15 more crimes);
Violence against the person saw a small decrease of 23 crimes but an increase in the amount of cases solved by one per cent (37 more crimes.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Marshall said: “It is extremely pleasing that for the sixth consecutive year overall crime has fallen across the county.
“Suffolk Constabulary continues to face significant challenges as we look to make financial savings over the coming years. In the last year we have made savings of almost £5million while retaining a strong visible front-line presence in the county.
“Burglaries, which cause a great deal of distress to people, have seen a decrease this year compared to the previous year when there was a slight increase.
"Simple measures can often be taken to help prevent these sorts of crimes and both officers and our crime reduction teams work throughout the year offering advice and guidance to people who have been victims of crime and those nearby to ensure future incidents do not occur.
“Robberies remain an area of concern and in view of the upturn in offences Suffolk Police Authority has determined this to be a top priority for the force this year.
“A specialist team, dedicated to targeting those committing street robberies in Ipswich, where we had seen a specific increase, was set up towards the end of 2011 and I am encouraged to see a rise in the number of offences that have been detected.”
Joanna Spicer, chairman of Suffolk Police Authority, said: “This is very encouraging news. We are facing very challenging times financially and this decrease in crime figures across the county reflects our endeavours to secure an efficient and effective policing service for Suffolk and remain one of the lowest-cost forces in the country.”
The figures, from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012, show there were 45,641 crimes recorded in Suffolk – 716 fewer crimes than in the same period the previous year, demonstrating that Suffolk remains a safe place to live, work and visit.
As well as the decrease in overall crime across the county the latest figures also show:
Domestic burglary has decreased by two per cent (99 fewer crimes);
Vehicle crime decreased by two per cent (88 fewer crimes);
Criminal damage saw a decrease of 11 per cent (1,112 fewer crimes), with incidents of arson equally seeing a decrease of 11 per cent (56 fewer crimes);
Robbery, which is a priority for the force, increased by nine per cent (28 more crimes) but solved robbery incidents increased by 19 per cent (15 more crimes);
Violence against the person saw a small decrease of 23 crimes but an increase in the amount of cases solved by one per cent (37 more crimes.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Marshall said: “It is extremely pleasing that for the sixth consecutive year overall crime has fallen across the county.
“Suffolk Constabulary continues to face significant challenges as we look to make financial savings over the coming years. In the last year we have made savings of almost £5million while retaining a strong visible front-line presence in the county.
“Burglaries, which cause a great deal of distress to people, have seen a decrease this year compared to the previous year when there was a slight increase.
"Simple measures can often be taken to help prevent these sorts of crimes and both officers and our crime reduction teams work throughout the year offering advice and guidance to people who have been victims of crime and those nearby to ensure future incidents do not occur.
“Robberies remain an area of concern and in view of the upturn in offences Suffolk Police Authority has determined this to be a top priority for the force this year.
“A specialist team, dedicated to targeting those committing street robberies in Ipswich, where we had seen a specific increase, was set up towards the end of 2011 and I am encouraged to see a rise in the number of offences that have been detected.”
Joanna Spicer, chairman of Suffolk Police Authority, said: “This is very encouraging news. We are facing very challenging times financially and this decrease in crime figures across the county reflects our endeavours to secure an efficient and effective policing service for Suffolk and remain one of the lowest-cost forces in the country.”
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