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Major drop in serious theft cases lifts force facing budget squeeze
BLEAK predictions of rising crime levels caused by policing cuts were tempered yesterday when senior officers in South Yorkshire claimed a major success on crimes such as burglary and car theft.
New figures were released by police which showed that house burglaries were at their lowest level in 30 years and that the number of car thefts were at their lowest since records began in 1974.
The statistics also reveal that in the year to March, 29 per cent of all serious acquisitive crimes committed in the county were solved and that crimes of that type were down 11 per cent on 2009/10.
Earlier this week, the Yorkshire Post revealed that crime had increased in the Yorkshire region in the first three months of the year, with senior police officers blaming Government-imposed cuts.
Forces across Yorkshire are facing a combined reduction of £200m in their budgets, leaving many chief constables with little option but to start cutting staff and services.
South Yorkshire’s Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes has publicly questioned the scope of the cuts.
Yesterday’s figures are in stark contrast to those recorded in other areas, with overall crime in Humberside rising by six per cent, and a two per cent rise in West Yorkshire.
The success was welcomed by the county’s police authority, which oversees the work of Mr Hughes’ officers, particularly because they broke a target set 12 months ago by five percentage points.
Charles Perryman, chair of South Yorkshire Police Authority, said: “The force and authority recognises that serious acquisitive crime is one of the top policing priorities for the public.
“We realise the impact it can have on communities and we continue to focus our efforts on ensuring that crimes are detected and offenders are brought to justice.
“The latest figures show a significant step forward in fighting serious acquisitive crime and we will continue to work with the force in setting stretching targets to ensure this good work continues.”
South Yorkshire Police said it had “developed specialist teams of detectives to focus specifically on burglary, robbery and vehicle crime”.
Senior officers said each crime was “robustly investigated applying the police’s knowledge and experience” and added that teams made the best use of forensic recovery from crime scenes.
Technology used at the scenes of burglaries and car crimes has moved on quickly with forensic officers now using shoe match identification as well as DNA and fingerprints.
Intelligence on crime trends and active criminals is also used to deploy officers to priority areas across South Yorkshire, and officers are engaged in “offender management” which involves curfew checks and application of bail conditions to limit re-offending.
Supt Tim Innes, South Yorkshire Police’s lead officer for serious acquisitive crime, said: “Despite record performance for South Yorkshire, it’s critical that we keep the focus on this area of crime which can be emotionally and financially devastating for victims.
“Our success is based upon some key factors.
“Effective use of intelligence, management of offenders, working with partners and communities, quality investigation, and providing a responsive service day in, day out.
“I would like to recognise the hard work of our staff who do a tremendous job across all departments and agencies.
“I would also like to thank the public who are reporting crime, marking, securing and recording their property, and providing valuable information to help us track down criminals.
“We have had some tremendous success in identifying stolen goods and I would like to remind everyone in South Yorkshire to log their property on websites such as www.immobilise.com which help reunite stolen items with their owners.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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