Cheshire Constabulary was one of only three police forces in England and Wales to record a fall in crime last year.
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics have shown an overall reduction in recorded crime for the year ending March 31, 2016, of 2.2 per cent in Cheshire compared to the number recorded in the year to March 2015, which equates to almost 1,300 fewer victims of crime.
The statistics show a 17.2 per cent drop in vehicle crime and a 16 per cent reduction in burglaries, but one area where crime has seen an increase is violence against the person – which includes offences such as modern slavery, serious assaults, death by dangerous driving, attempted murder and stalking and harassment – which is up 16 per cent.
Welcome news
Chief Constable Simon Byrne has welcomed the news that recorded crime figures in the county have fallen for the tenth consecutive year.
He said: “I believe it reflects positively the work of officers and staff, working with our partners, to protect our communities.
“Many of the crimes that worry our residents have seen falls, like burglary and car crime.
“And while violence against the person has increased, it’s important to put this into context, and to highlight the work the force is doing, alongside local councils, to make our towns and villages safer, especially in the evenings.”
Night-time economy action
Referencing the recent temporary closure of Rosies nightclub in Chester, Mr Byrne added: “We’re taking firm action against those bars and clubs that aren’t keeping our young people safe, as has been seen recently by the work we’ve done to close premises in Chester and Warrington where we’ve identified problems.
“We will continue to work actively to hold businesses to account that we believe aren’t adequately protecting their customers.”
Police and crime commissioner for Cheshire David Keane added that the figures are a ‘credit to the hard work’ of officers and staff, but he is keen to see more being done to tackle public disorder and drug and alcohol abuse.
Across the whole of England and Wales there was an 8.7% increase in police recorded crime in the year to March 2016.
Much of this increase is thought to be down to improvements in the ways in which the police record crime.
Increase in solved crimes
Cheshire Constabulary’s own data has revealed a significant improvement in detection – or solved – rates for key crimes.
Fifty-one per cent of domestic violence with injury are detected, while more than 35 per cent of sexual offences were solved last year – the highest rate for four years.
Cheshire victims are more likely to see justice done, according to figures from the Criminal Prosecution Service, with convictions increasing at both magistrate and crown courts, meaning CPS Mersey-Cheshire now has the highest conviction rate in the country as of March 31, 2016.
