Warwick District crime figures falling
The crime figures for Warwick district saw a healthy reduction for the third quarter of the year (Oct-Dec 2005 inclusive).
A survey was carried out by Warwickshire County Council on behalf of Warwick District’s crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) which comprises representatives of the District Council, the County Council, the Police and other agencies involved in community safety.
This has shown that figures for domestic burglary, vehicle crime and business crime have all shown substantial reductions compared to the same period in 2004.
Other good news has showed that residents are changing their opinions on their areas with 23% of residents indicating that they do not feel that anti-social behaviour is a problem in their local area.
Domestic burglary has seen the most dramatic change with a 37% drop in reports compared with the 2004 figure. Neighbourhood Watch has continued to flourish with 925 schemes operating in the district, showing an increase of 6.5%.
Smartwater has also been successfully rolled out in several key areas of the district. Funded by an initial grant from Warwick’s CDRP, it was then sold at a rate of £11 per kit which allowed the scheme to then become self financing as it was rolled out from Brunswick, through Lillington, Lapworth and Whitnash. The unique solution provides a forensic fingerprint making the possession of stolen property highly risky; high visibility signs also indicate that properties in the area are equipped with Smartwater providing a further deterrent.
Tradeline, a scheme aimed at reducing the incidence of distraction burglary amongst older residents was launched last September by Warwickshire Distraction Burglary Partnership. With the aim of ending the practice of doorstep traders whose main aim is to gain access to a property, the scheme was set up to enable residents to call the helpdesk to be given the contact details of a vetted and approved tradesperson and has already helped well over 100 residents.
Pete Cutts community safety manager with Warwick District Council, said: “These results are a tribute to the effective working of the partnership across the board. Domestic burglary is a devastating crime for the victims and I am delighted that the partnership has worked together so effectively to bring the numbers down.”
Vehicle crime has seen a 24.7% drop in the total incidents of thefts of and from cars. Among the schemes that have contributed to this fall was the arrest of a group who had stolen over 170 car badges in Kenilworth.
Business crime comprising commercial burglary and shoplifting saw a 24.8% drop, year on year. The progress made by the district’s CDRP through the Beating Business Crime and Warwickshire Retail Crime initiatives was rewarded with a Safer Business Award, which recognises effective retail crime reduction partnerships, presented by Ian Pearson MP, minister for trade, investment and foreign affairs.
David Whitehouse, area commander for Southern Warwickshire, said: “I welcome the results of this survey which gives us a strong steer not only about crime trends but about public opinion. The survey demonstrates that, thanks to strong partnership working, neighbourhood policing initiatives are bearing fruit.”