Crime falls in Lancashire

10:53am Thursday 17th July 2008

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CRIME in Lancashire has fallen for the third year in a row overall, but drugs offences have increased by 30 per cent.

And the county has beaten national levels for reducing key crimes like burglary, criminal damage and vehicle crime.

Police chiefs said it had left 12,156 fewer residents falling victim to criminals.

The 30 per cent rise in drugs offences was put down to officers targeting organised trafficking gangs in a bid to tackle lower levels crimes by drug users.

Neighbourhood policing, working with the public and a continued spell of a bad weather have all helped reduce crime, according to Assistant Chief Constable Wendy Walker.

She said: “We have a long history of being a good police force, based on things like robust partnerships working with people like the local authorities and the probation and youth offending teams.

“We are in the fourth year of having neighbourhood policing teams, although we have always had local bobbies on the streets. We have 420 PCSOs, and they are very useful for getting out into the community.

“The public have got to feel confident in the police so that they will tell us things. Things in isolation might not seem important but if a serious crime happens round the corner then it might all add up.”

Burglaries on homes have fallen by 14 per cent, with 705 fewer houses being targeted by thieves.

ACC Walker said: “It is one of the worst things to have someone come into your home and steal from you. But it is now at a 35-year low.”

The crackdown on drugs had lead to a 36 per cent (276 crimes) county increase in trafficking offences and a 42 per cent (556 crimes) increase in cannabis possession offences, police said.

Chief Supt Andy Rhodes, of the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, said operations like Beatsweep and Titan, where agencies worked together as a team to target neighbour-hood priorities has led to several successful drugs arrests.

He added: “A lot have been from intelligence lead stop and checks, acting on information from the public.

“We are also good at policing football matches and licensed premises, which leads to a reduction in violent crime, and we have had an understated presence at things like the Mill Hill festival so that people knew we were there if they stepped out of line.”

Neighbourhood teams have been given particular praise in helping reduce crime.

Mr Rhodes said: “They are going from strength to strength and making the streets safer.”

But not all of the reduced figures have been put down to good policing.

Following two years of soggy summers, ACC Walker said: “Bad weather does affect crime figures. People stay in doors if it rains, and when it’s hot people tend to drink more and that leads to more anti-social behaviour and violence.”

Speaking about the figures Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley said: “It’s pleasing that most areas of crime are going down. Effective policing has helped to do this.

“Drugs are a serious problem and I believe the government did the wrong thing in making cannabis a class C.

“I expect to see an increase in crimes of this sort as police get back their powers.

“We can’t sit on our laurels. For every crime statistic that exists there is a personal tragedy for the victim and people must also be encouraged to report crimes to the police so police and politicians get a proper reflection of what is going on.”