A NEW street-level crime mapping website has been described as a ‘gimmick’ by a leading member of Cheshire Police Authority.

Ellesmere Port residents can now go to website www.police.co.uk and type in their street name or postcode and be given a crime tally of incidents over the previous month.

But Finance committee chairman Derek Bateman reckons the £300,000 site – containing interactive maps to show people what crimes have occurred in their street by doing a simple postcode search – is misleading.

The crime mapping website, which crashed on its launch day last week due to the high level of interest, brings up the number of crimes, such as burglary, violence and anti-social behaviour, ‘on or near’ a specific street.

This means that some streets where no crime may have occurred could in fact have a list of offences flagged up on the map because of incidents in a neighbouring street, or at a nearby public place.

Cllr Bateman said: “It snaps to other streets, that’s the inaccuracy.

“I think it’s a bit of a gimmick. This system is giving people a bit of a false expectation.”

The website, which forms a key part of the Government's transparency agenda, also enables users to access details about their neighbourhood policing team and find out about regular meetings.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: “We want people to be able to see what crime is happening on their street and to be able to tell their local police if they have concerns, and challenge them about how issues are being dealt with.

“This new information will allow them to do just that. This is a major achievement, reconnecting the police and communities through the power of information.”

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Mortimore, of the National Policing Improvement Agency, added: “The combination of a crime map, neighbourhood policing team information and crime prevention advice is needed if it is to have a positive impact on public attitudes and fear of crime.”

To view the interactive crime maps visit www.police.uk.