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Crime fall is put down to team effort

From the archive, first published Wednesday 12th Sep 2007.

TAKING a hard line against crooks and antisocial be-haviour seems to have paid off in Rochford district, which has been named the safest area to live in the Eastern Region.

The district has seen the number of reported crimes falling from 3,142 in July 2005 to June 2006 to 2,751 in the 12 months to June this year.

The largest reduction has been in theft from a person, which is 61 per cent down.

The promising data has been gathered by crime analysis company IQuanta and the south eastern division of Essex Police, and shows Rochford had low levels of crime for the 2006/07 period.

The welcome statistics are said to be a result of a series of crime-cracking initiatives launched by Rochford District Council's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

The partnership, made up of the council, police and other agencies, has seen reports of muggings, burglary, criminal damage and loutish behaviour plummet over the past year.

Keith Hudson, deputy leader of Rochford District Council, said: "It is absolutely wonderful that this reduction in crime has been achieved and the police have done a tremendous job.

"However, there are still things which we have to look at, and one of these is the fear of crime which means very often residents, especially the elderly, are worrying unnecessarily. Of course, there is still some crime, but very often it is the fear of crime which is the real concern."

Reductions have taken place in the levels of criminal damage: Last year's total of 1,241 offences dropped to 963 for the same period this year.

The falling levels could reflect a campaign to raise awareness about muggings, as well as the distribution of handbag and purse chains, led by Rochford's crime reduction partnership, which was supported by Essex Police and local traders.

Criminal damage figures have also fallen, possibly due to the Rayleigh Community Initiative, which worked to deal with higher levels of crime in Rayleigh town centre than in the rest of the district.

Publicising access to neighbourhood policing, tackling truancy, providing information and support for witnesses, park wardens' presence and lighting may have also contributed towards an overall improvement.

Dealing with problem teen-agers has also been a success for the partnership, with operations to seize booze from underage drinkers and prosecute off-licences selling to youngsters, helping to reduce levels of yobbish behaviour.

District Commander, Chief Inspector John Walker, hailed the success of the partnership.

He said: "These figures clearly show that partnership working can successfully drive down crime and anti-social behaviour.

"There are ongoing initiatives to further improve the quality of life for the residents of the Rochford District.

"However, they should be reassured that Rochford continues to be one of the safest areas to live."