DRUG CRIME UP A THIRD WHILE VIOLENCE DROPS OFF

Violent attacks in Dacorum are down by a third, police figures show.

According to Herts Police, crimes in the borough during which wounds
were inflicted fell by just over 36 per cent from April to October.

Herts Police spokesman Colin Connolly, who released the figures
yesterday, said: "Year on year, we're arresting and charging more and
more people."

Other figures, released by the Government on Monday, show that drug
crime across Herts is up by almost a third.

According to the Home Office, drug offences in the county increased by
29 per cent between April and June, compared with the same period last
year.

Mr Connolly said the figures reflected an increase in Herts Police
work to target drug dealers and users.

He said: "We link drugs to crime - if you target drugs dealers and you
restrict the circulation of drugs, you can have an impact on crime
levels."

Mr Connolly added that the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition
(ANPR) systems across the county had helped to catch drug dealers on
the road.

The Home Office figures show that overall crime in Herts dropped by 11
per cent between April and June.

Serious violent attacks fell by 53 per cent - partly because of a
change in recording methods, minor and verbal assaults fell by 25 per
cent and sexual offences fell by 15 per cent.

Robbery was also down 14 per cent, criminal damage fell by 11 per cent
and burglary dropped by 5 per cent, according to the figures.

Vehicle crime, another area currently being targetted by Herts Police
according to Mr Connolly, increased by 10 per cent.