The latest crime statistics released by the Office of National Statistics show that crime continues to fall in Cheshire, with the county recording the third largest reduction in crime across England and Wales.
Figure released last week for the 12 months ending March 2015 show an overall reduction in crime of 4%, which equates to 2,796 fewer crimes compared to the previous 12 month period.
Those crimes termed 'victim-based' incidents have significantly fallen by nearly 6%, the largest experienced by any of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. Many of these are acquisitive crimes such as robbery, burglary, theft, shoplifting – all of which have seen marked decreases over 12 months.
However, it is recognised that certain types of crimes, such as those involving violence and sexual offences have risen, though this is in part down to the Constabulary tightening up how it records these offences and also as victims are increasingly confident in reporting these types of offences to us.
ACC Guy Hindle said: "It is good to see that the hard work put in by Cheshire Constabulary over the past year in recording and investigating incidents is paying dividends and we continue to see some of the lowest levels of crime recorded in modern times – and even more recent figures indicate that trend of reduced crime will continue.
"What is particularly pleasing to see is that the focus we have placed on victims is borne out by these figures – not just the number of victims, but the associated work such as the provision of victim care."
Cheshire Constabulary recently rolled out a new operating model, which has seen the former 19 Neighbourhood Policing Units (NPUs) merged to create eight Local Policing Units (LPUs). In addition, investment has been made in investigating major crimes, and further resources have been put into the creation of a Public Protection Directorate to further focus on those who are most vulnerable or in need of help in our society.
The Constabulary has also undertaken a number of operations and initiatives aimed at disrupting criminal activity. These include Operation Crossbow, which targets cross-border criminality to prevent those from neighbouring counties visiting Cheshire to prey on its residents and Operation Hatay, a concerted effort to identify and track down offenders who continue to evade justice. Whilst Operation Shield has been instrumental in reducing victim based crime in our communities, the forensic marking of property is deterring criminals from targeting our most vulnerable communities.
John Dwyer, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire said: "These are extremely encouraging results for anyone concerned with tackling and preventing crime. It is particularly pleasing to see that this Constabulary has seen the biggest fall in victim-based crime as I have placed victims at the heart of the criminal justice system and focused on ensuring they receive the support they need.
"Cheshire Constabulary continues to take positive steps to keep the public safe and in my role as Commissioner I will ensure that this good work continues."
Figures released last week showed recorded crime by offences for the Year to March 2015, with (in brackets) the percentage changes when comparing the year to March 2015 with the year to March 2014.
11,672 violence against the person offences (+12), 1182 sexual offences (+20), 238 robberies (-24), 25,294 theft offences (-12), 5,963 burglaries (-15), 4,462 vehicles offences (-14), 1,057 thefts from the person (-11), 1,529 bicycle thefts (-11), 6,174 shoplifting offences (-8), 8,423 criminal damage and arson offences (-9), 2,788 drug offences (+2), 288 possession of weapon offences (+10) and 2,380 public order offences (+15).
