CRIME DOWN ACROSS SUFFOLK

CRIME figures released today show a reduction in violent crime,
burglaries and vandalism across Suffolk, although drug offences are
on the rise.

All major categories of crime have fallen except for drugs, which
police put down to an increase in detection rates due to their
crackdown on dealers in the region.

The reductions include a fall of 7.4 per cent in violent crimes,
which represents 453 fewer offences between April and September,
compared to the same period last year.

Fraud and forgery has fallen by 33.6 per cent, representing 333 fewer
crimes, and burglaries are down by 1.7 per cent, equating to 44 fewer
crimes.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer said: "This is an
extremely encouraging set of figures , which shows that we have built
on our strong performance last year, when overall crime fell by more
than three percent.

"The first six months of this year have seen 453 fewer violent
offences and a reduction of 92 homes broken into.

"The only main category to show an increase is drug offences. But
this actually reflects police proactivity in targeting drug dealers,
rather than an increase in drug dealing on the streets.

"Local people will be aware that the constabulary has faced some
challenges over the last year, in terms of major crime investigation
and the on-going review into the organisation's future.

"Despite this, our officers and staff have shown their quality with
these latest performance figures, which underline their commitment to
keeping Suffolk safe."

Overall, crime has fallen by 4.6 per cent from 26,781 total recorded
offences to 25,552.

The overall detection rate (amount of crimes solved compared to
amount of crimes reported) stands at 29.5 per cent, compared to 27.8
per cent last year.