PCC delighted recorded crime has fallen

‘Dedicated and determined’ police officers and staff have helped see the number of crimes recorded in Suffolk decrease by over 7% and crimes solved increase by 2.4%, according to Chief Constable Douglas Paxton and Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore.

“I am delighted to see that overall recorded crime has fallen in the county over the past year. These latest figures are very encouraging and are an excellent reflection on the dedication of the Constabulary’s officers and staff.

“A year ago I published my Police and Crime Plan which clearly sets out the Police and Crime objectives for policing Suffolk and reflects my ambition to make Suffolk a safer place in which to live, work, travel and invest.

“I am extremely pleased that the Constabulary’s delivery of our policing plan is showing such positive results.”

Yearly recorded and solved crime figures have been released that show from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, there were 36,441 crimes recorded in the county – 2,793 fewer than in the same period in 2012/13. The figures also show that 35.1% of crimes were solved, a rise of 2.4% from the previous year.

The latest figures show:

• Overall crime fell by 7.1%.
• Crimes solved increased by 2.4%.
• Violence against the person decreased by 1.5% (107 crimes);
• Vehicle crime decreased by 10% (382 crimes);
• Robbery decreased by 17% (43 crimes);
• Criminal damage decreased by almost 7%, with 462 fewer crimes; and
• Domestic burglary decreased by 24% (453 crimes);
• Drug offences increased by 6.3% (116 crimes).

At the same time, performance in other areas such as speed of attendance at emergency incidents and victim satisfaction have improved, helping the Constabulary meet nearly all the performance measures contained in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan.

Chief Constable Douglas Paxton said:

“We share a vision with the PCC of making Suffolk a safer place to live, work, travel and invest.

“Together, we are committed to providing the best possible service to our communities to keep people safe while tackling the crime and anti-social behaviour issues that concern them the most.

“Our performance this year reflects an organisation which is dedicated and determined to make Suffolk safer.

“Crime is down and our solved rate is up, reflecting a real team effort by officers and staff across the force.

“It is important to remember that crime statistics don’t give the full picture of a local policing service. Just as important is the quality of service we offer local people, particularly when they become victims of crime.

“Our figures show that victim satisfaction has increased and we are attending over 90% of our emergency incidents within our target, which is an improvement on last year. I believe this reflects the desire of our officers and staff to offer a professional and caring service to all those who need our help.”

The performance has been achieved against a back-drop of continuing financial challenges, with the majority of savings being achieved through continuing collaboration with Norfolk Constabulary.

The two forces are delivering a wide range of operational policing and support services together.

With a funding gap for Suffolk predicted to be £16.4 million by 2018, it is important to continue to deliver the collaboration arrangements that are already established while looking for new opportunities either from within the county of Suffolk, Norfolk or from elsewhere.