Crime detection figures show police need help (From Witney Gazette)

Crime detection figures show police need help

9:20am Wednesday 20th April 2011 in Leader

Another fall in crime figures across West Oxfordshire has to be welcomed.

And the 12 per cent drop is both significant and a credit to the police’s preventative measures.

But a 24.7 per cent rise in home burglaries is a worry, especially as the detection rate remains at a low 13.4 per cent.

Having your home broken into and desecrated is a horrible experience, and the police should be putting all their energy into tackling this rising trend.

Due to this, we welcome the new area commander’s pledge to make tackling burglaries a priority.

Chief Inspector Colin Paine said a significant proportion of the burglaries were committed by criminals travelling from Gloucestershire.

He said he would strengthen links with Gloucestershire police and send his own officers out to the county if necessary.

We agree that taking the initiative and taking the fight to the criminals is the best option. But he said we should judge him on his results, and we will test him on that this time next year.

What is a particular worry, though, is the low record of detection. And, worse still, not a single ‘theft from the person’ was solved between March 31, 2010, and April 1, 2011.

We think the police have a tough job tackling these types of crime, and these low detection figures show they need more help from the public.

While it is easy to criticise police, the detection figures also reflect badly on our willingness to help them with their crucial job.