THAMES Valley Police has outperformed the national average in reducing crime statistics according to figures out today (26/1).
The Force also bucked the national trend with the number of robberies staying static and gun crime falling.
Home Office statistics for the three months from July 2005 to September 2005 show overall crime in the Thames Valley fell by three per cent compared to a national average of one per cent during the same period in 2004.
Virtually all categories of crime fell:
? Sexual offences were down by ten per cent compared to three per cent nationally
? Domestic burglary was down by three per cent and other burglary fell by seven per cent
? Thefts of and from vehicles were down by 11 per cent and other thefts and handling stolen goods fell by eight per cent
? The number of robberies remained the same compared to an 11 per cent rise nationally. No Local Police Area in the Force area appears in the ranked top 40 areas for robbery in 2005.
However, violence against the person in Thames Valley did increase by 11 per cent compared to a national average of four per cent during the three months.
Acting Chief Constable Sara Thornton said: “Most of the rise can be attributed to harassment, which is recorded as a violent crime, and low-level public order offences like the inevitable tussles that take place after pubs and clubs close.
“In Thames Valley, we have also been making increasing use of fixed penalty notices for disorder as a method of preventing minor disorders from escalating. Every time we issue one this is counted as a violent crime.”
Since September the Force has also launched a major campaign called Safer Streets specifically aimed at tackling violent crime.
Drugs offences in Thames Valley show a 25 per cent rise largely due to greater police activity in cracking down on drug dealing and drug possession, rather than because of any increased criminal activity.
Firearms offences also fell steeply in the region. Between October 2004 and September 2005 firearms offences fell by 13 per cent.
Those firearms offences resulting in injury fell by 27 per cent and the numbers of firearms offences due to serious injury or fatality fell by 50 per cent.
Ms Thornton said: “Overall crime in Thames Valley was down as of last September, bucking the national trend, and I am particularly pleased that we have not seen any increase in robbery because not so long ago it was an issue for the Force.
“We were already aware that we needed to do something about violent crime and have been working particularly hard to tackle this issue since the autumn.”
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