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Smarter policing keeps Dales safe
Inspector Bryan Hall
Dales residents can sleep a little easier in their beds knowing that crime has reduced by nearly 15 per cent since last year.
Between April 1 and August 30 this year there were 1,015 crimes recorded in the area – this is compared to 1,191 recorded during the same timescale last year.
The most notable reduction has been in the number of sexual offences which has fallen from 20 last year to 11 this year – a difference of 45 per cent.
The proportion of cases involving criminal damage and arson has gone down by nearly 24 per cent and the number of cases of violence has also gone down by nearly 20 per cent.
The number of thefts has reduced overall by ten per cent, however the number of shoplifting offences recorded has more than doubled to 85 from 40 last year.
Likewise the number of domestic burglaries has increased to 35 from 31.
Drug offences have gone up from 53 last year to 68 this year.
Derbyshire Dales Insp Bryan Hall, said the force was funding new ways of approaching crime.
“We work much smarter,” he explained.
“We work in partnership with councils now to identify priorities and target resources accordingly.
“It has to be intelligence lead and we identify hot spots and trends quickly and channel resources to try and target theses areas. We work with the community to try and identify these problems and try and achieve positive outcomes.”
He said prevention was better than the cure and believes that having officers walking the beat is one of the best ways to deter criminals.
“I believe in foot patrols where ever we have got the resources,” Insp Hall continued.
He acknowledged that reduced staffing levels was proving a ‘challenge’, but has created a system whereby officers are dispatched to key areas identified as needing a strong visible police presence.
The inspector said that the force also looks at alternative ways of addressing crime now, using tactics such as getting offenders to talk face to face with victims in order to change their attitudes.
“It can have quite an effect on the perpetrators, particularly if they are juveniles,” he said.
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Weather for Bakewell
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 7 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
