Press
& Publicity
Monday 27 November 2006 - 233
GOOD NEWS FOR HERTS AS CRIME FIGURES FALL
At its meeting on Friday (24 th) Hertfordshire Police Authority congratulated the Chief Constable and his staff as crime figures continue to fall in the county.
Ian Laidlaw-Dickson, Chair of Hertfordshire Police Authority, said: “These figures are very encouraging, particularly in home burglary and vehicle crime, which continue to show a substantial reduction. However, there is still more work to be done, especially in relation to reducing perceptions of crime – surveys show that people in Hertfordshire still have a greater fear of crime when compared to the actual figures. I hope these falling crime figures reassure people that Hertfordshire really is a safe county in which to live”
All recorded crime fell by 2.5% (1,194 crimes) in the six months to September this year, with burglary falling by 11.3% from 2,278 to 2,021. “There were 257 fewer victims of burglary in the first six months this year compared to last year. The excellent work being done to prevent repeat offences is also beginning to show results, with 41 fewer repeat victims in the last six months.”
It is also the third year in succession that Hertfordshire Constabulary has been assessed as a “Good” force by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). “I congratulate the Chief Constable and his officers and police staff for their hard work throughout the last year,” said Ian. The HMIC’s assessment supports the Police Authority view that Hertfordshire has a very good police force that continues to strive for greater efficiency and improvement.
“However, there is still an excessive demand placed on police forces by the vast number of inspection regimes that they have to comply with and we are encouraged that the Home Secretary aiming to revise and simplify the system.”
Frank Whiteley, Chief Constable of Hertfordshire said: “Falling crime levels are excellent news and we will continue with our initiatives to drive down crime further. With falling crime and record numbers of officers and police community support officers on the streets of Hertfordshire we should also see fear of crime falling as well. This has not been the case in recent months with surveys showing fear of crime rising in the county. Therefore we will be working to ensure that alongside making Hertfordshire safer we will also communicate more with our public so they have the information to feel safer as well.”
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