C District Police Report Says Crime Is Down

The official crime statistics show a continuing downward trend in the overall number of recorded crimes and a continuing rise in detection rates. Commander for the district, Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw, said the decrease does not mean his officers will be complacent. He added,  “In the financial year 2009/10 we had 12,749 recorded crimes. In the last financial year we had 12,279. That is a difference of 3.7%. Our detection rate is up from 25.6% to 27.7%. That means there has been a 2.1% increase of in where we have charged suspects with a crime, issued a caution or summons or brought an offender before the courts. This shows the continuing determination of my colleagues to bring justice for victims of crime in all areas of C District. However it doesn’t just end with statistics. We know there is still work to be done. “While domestic burglaries have fallen by 6.9% we recognise that one burglary can have a devastating effect on a victim, and we want to see this number continue to decrease year after year. With the help of the community, the PSNI in C District hope that will happen through crime prevention initiatives and gathering intelligence on prolific burglars who are targeting the residents in this district,” said the chief superintendent. “Crimes where domestic abuse has been a motivating factor have fallen 11% from 2,611 to 2,325 in 2010/11. The detection rate in relation to domestic violence has increased by 4.7%. “The number of thefts has fallen by 5%, with theft of motor vehicles taking a sharp decrease by 17.5%. Criminal damage has decreased by 9.2%” Recorded incidents of violent crime are up 1.8% but detections for violent crime are also up by 1.8% with detections for robbery increasing from 21.8% in the 2009/10 financial year to 28.2% in 2010/11.” CSI Grimshaw said his aim for the coming year is to ensure the community of C District has the police service it deserves. He added, “I want the community of C District to see a continued improvement in the quality of service we provide for them. Through the new Policing Commitments, which form part of the wider Policing with the Community 2020 Strategy everyone will have an opportunity to tell us what they expect from their police service. Community engagement, partnership and service delivery are critical to how we tackle crime and disorder and deliver personal policing. “The PSNI wants to provide a personal, professional and protective service for the public. Officers in all areas of C District are continuing to work with the community and listening to their concerns about crime. It is clear that this work is bringing results.” On Recorded Crime PSNI records its crimes and detections in accordance with the Home Office Counting Rules and adopted the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002 at the same time as all police services in England & Wales. Detections Detections (or clearances) are, broadly speaking, those crimes that have been ‘cleared up’ by the police. Crimes are counted as ‘cleared or detected’ in accordance with strict counting rules issued by the Home Office. They are counted on the basis of crimes rather than offenders. For example, if six offenders are involved in a robbery and are all arrested and charged, then this counts as one detection (i.e. the robbery is deemed to be ‘detected’). Alternatively if only one of the six is identified and charged while the other five remain unidentified and at large, this also means that the robbery can still be deemed as ‘detected’. The following methods of detection involve a formal sanction: *  Charging or issuing a summons to an offender; *  Issuing a caution to the offender; *  Having the offence accepted for consideration in court; *  The offender is a juvenile who is dealt with by means of an informed warning or restorative caution. In addition, for the most serious offence types (indictable only) a non-sanction detection can be claimed if; *  The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) directs no prosecution, or *  The case cannot proceed because the offender has died. ‘Indictable only’ offences are the most serious types of offences and are those which must be tried in the Crown Court. Instances of these non-sanction detections are rare and they are few in number each year. Definition of a Domestic abuse Incident Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, verbal, sexual, financial or emotional) by one family member against another or adults who are or who have been intimate partners, regardless of gender, and whether a crime has occurred or not, will be recorded as domestic abuse. Definition of Hate Incidents

Any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate (ACPO definition)