The total number of serious acquisitive crimes (SAC), which includes house burglary, car crime and robbery, fell by 13.2 per cent between 31 March 2009 and 1 April 2010, which equates to less than one house burglary a day in Chiltern LPA.
The results come as recognition to the partnership, which includes Thames Valley Police and Chiltern District Council, of their hard work to reduce crime, including using Operation Guillotine across the district last year to target known SAC offenders.
Ch Insp Ian Hunter, Commander for Chiltern LPA, said: “We have made some real progress in the past year by working in conjunction with Chiltern District Council to look at the causes of crime and tackling it at the root of the problem. Operation Guillotine and the Operation Confidence initiatives have also incorporated information from the community, which is invaluable to us as residents act as our eyes and ears.”
Although overall crime has fallen by 101 victims (1.8 per cent), the number of reported serious violent crime and serious sexual offences has increased this year by eight cases (four violent offences and four sexual offences), something which Ch Insp Hunter attributes to victims having increasing confidence in how Thames Valley Police will deal with their case.
He added: “Reports of sexual offences have not significantly increased from last year, in real terms we’ve had four more cases reported to us than in 2009. What those extra reports can indicate is a growing confidence in the police and the way the police deal with these types of cases. We are also seeing a similar trend in domestic violence cases as victims are hearing about our specialist unit and are coming forward for the help they deserve.
“In terms of violent crime, the partnership is doing a lot of work around licensing and anti-social behaviour which is having a real effect on those types of offences and in turn making Chiltern safer.”
Councillor Noel Brown, Chiltern’s Cabinet Member for community safety, said: “This is really good news that should reassure our residents and confirm that we are one of the lowest crime areas in the country. It just shows that closer working together between the police, the district council, and the public can really make a difference, and Thames Valley Police should be congratulated.”