Safer streets after big fall in crime

Apr 24 2008 by Catherine Evans, Rhymney Valley Express

CRIME is down by almost 25% in the Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent police areas, according to new figures.

The number of incidents recorded in Gwent Police C Division has fallen by 5858 since April 2005, a reduction of 24.6%.

A number of initiatives have been rolled out across the Caerphilly borough to help tackle trouble spots.

Police have been working closely with Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership and its CCTV unit to monitor crime in communities.

Operations to tackle specific issues such as violent crime have been successful with the number of violent incidents, particularly involving alcohol, falling by 31.8% across the division.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams are now in place across the borough, PACT meetings to highlight community concerns have been successful with a 13.8% drop in anti-social behaviour, and targeted community-driven initiatives have seen the number of criminal damage crimes reported fall by 15.5%.

Vehicle crime is down by 21.9% in the division, aided by an initiative that warns motorists not to leave valuable items on display in their vehicles and the use of Capture Cars – specially fitted vehicles parked around the borough that can film criminals if they try to break into them.

Chief Superintendent for C Division, Alun Thomas, said: “We are delighted that crime has fallen by almost a quarter over the last three years right across Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly.

“This is a testament to the hard work of all our officers and staff, and also to the increased working in partnerships.

“By sharing our resources and pooling our efforts to tackle issues through forums such as PACT, we have found great benefits, which I think are reflected in the reductions we have seen over the last three years.

“We will now be working to improve further on these reductions and to create an even safer environment for residents.

“As ever, we need the assistance of the public in solving crime, through the proactive working with local Neighbourhood Watch groups.

“There have been a number of exciting projects and initiatives introduced over the last few years, which have also played their part in reducing local crime levels, and a high level of policing and detection by our officers.

“Our aim now is to maintain and improve on these reductions, paying particular attention to current issues such as anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.”