Pubdate: Mon, 08 Oct 2007
Source: Evening Star, The (UK)
Copyright: 2007 Archant Regional
Contact:  http://www.eveningstar.co.uk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1695

CRIME DOWN ACROSS SUFFOLK

CRIME figures released today show a reduction in  violent crime,
burglaries and vandalism across Suffolk,  although drug offences are
on the rise.

All major categories of crime have fallen except for  drugs, which
police put down to an increase in  detection rates due to their
crackdown on dealers in  the region.

The reductions include a fall of 7.4 per cent in  violent crimes,
which represents 453 fewer offences  between April and September,
compared to the same  period last year.

Fraud and forgery has fallen by 33.6 per cent,  representing 333 fewer
crimes, and burglaries are down  by 1.7 per cent, equating to 44 fewer
crimes.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer said: "This  is an
extremely encouraging set of figures , which  shows that we have built
on our strong performance last  year, when overall crime fell by more
than three  percent.

"The first six months of this year have seen 453 fewer  violent
offences and a reduction of 92 homes broken  into.

"The only main category to show an increase is drug  offences. But
this actually reflects police proactivity  in targeting drug dealers,
rather than an increase in  drug dealing on the streets.

"Local people will be aware that the constabulary has  faced some
challenges over the last year, in terms of  major crime investigation
and the on-going review into  the organisation's future.

"Despite this, our officers and staff have shown their  quality with
these latest performance figures, which  underline their commitment to
keeping Suffolk safe."

Overall, crime has fallen by 4.6 per cent from 26,781  total recorded
offences to 25,552.

The overall detection rate (amount of crimes solved  compared to
amount of crimes reported) stands at 29.5  per cent, compared to 27.8
per cent last year. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake