NORTH Wales Police Authority is keen to find out why people in Wrexham are so afraid they might become victims of crime.
Statistics show North Wales to be one of the safest places in Britain to live in and visit – and yet surveys have shown residents believe otherwise.
To try to address the problem, the police authority is to hold open meetings called ‘Perception v Reality’ and among them is a meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 15, at Wrexham Guild Hall.
Rhian Rees Roberts, the authority’s recently appointed policy officer, said the number of recorded crimes in the area fell by 15% between 2006-7 and 2007-8, the biggest decrease anywhere in England and Wales.
“The detection rate is up from 21% in 2002-3 to 40% in 2007-8, and North Wales has the second highest sanctioned detection rate in England and Wales, with only Dyfed-Powys higher,” she said.
Sanctioned detections are those in which the offenders are confirmed but the cases may not have reached court.
“However,” said Mrs Roberts, “National figures demonstrate fear of crime and anti-social behaviour is higher in North Wales than in many areas of England and Wales despite the higher detection rate.
“Why should that be so when there is a less than 3% chance of anyone becoming a victim of crime?”
“In November, the Home Office announced a 2.5% drop in personal crime in North Wales in 2007-8, an improvement of more than 4% in the risk of household crime and drop of nearly 4% in violent crime rate. Offences brought to justice were up from 35% to nearly 40%.”
She added: “The inordinately high fear of becoming a victim of crime was reflected in the recent series of Police Authority Community Forums held in each county many of the issues raised were common to them all.
“The sessions were widely advertised but those who attended were not representative of the general public in terms of age, gender, and background, and it was felt they could not really be held to truly reflect public opinion throughout the region.
“We hope the public will grasp the opportunity to attend the next round of meetings and express their views on this issue of Perception v Reality.”
