Cheshire Police record sixth largest reduction in crime

Acquisitive crimes such as theft, robbery, burglary and shoplifting continue to fall as the Constabulary continues to tackle these types of crime. Whilst the number of sexual offences has risen, this is testament to the increasing confidence shown by victims to come forward and report these crimes.

Deputy Chief Constable Janette McCormick said: “We recently published the financial year end statistics which showed that crime in the county is down by nearly 5% (up to the end March 2015) and is at its lowest rate since the early 1990′s.

“However, crime statistics are only part of the picture and the Constabulary is continuing to tackle crime with a number of new and large scale operations such as Operation Hatay and Crossbow – two high profile operations which targeted both wanted offenders and those using the county′s roads to commit crime.”

Operation Shield was launched at the beginning of March and is an innovative way of tackling burglary from homes and businesses with the use of a unique DNA liquid that can be used to mark property. The liquid is barely visible and is hard for offenders to see. The DNA coding is registered solely to the individuals address and is added to a database so any property found that is marked can be traced back to the rightful owners. In addition, anyone arrested and taken into custody is scanned for traces of unique DNA liquid which means that the police can link offenders back to the burglaries they committed.

The Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner also launched the ‘We′re Here′ commitments at the end of last month. ‘We′re Here′ is about setting a simple framework of promises for the people of Cheshire which allow the public to hold the force to account if they feel the Constabulary fall short on the service promises. At such an important time for Cheshire Constabulary, these commitments form a vital part of how the organisation aims to deliver a service that is the best in the country.

“Overall, these latest results show that the proactive approach to policing taken by the Constabulary does work and combined with the We′re Here commitments reinforces our commitment to the community and keeping those who live and work in Cheshire safe”, said Deputy Chief Constable Janette McCormick.

John Dwyer, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire said, “My verdict of the Constabulary′s performance, following the latest statistics from the ONS and on the Constabulary′s own data released at the beginning of this month, is that the Constabulary is performing well, it is doing more to tackle the crimes that the public tell me matter to them most and that they wanted the police to do more about. The 3.9% fall in crime is a stark figure but it actually means 2171 fewer victims of crime. The Constabulary has taken positive steps and introduced initiatives which target offenders but also assist the public in keeping themselves safe. By working with the public, the police can make a significant impact on people′s lives for the better and I am delighted that crime continues to fall.”