Burglary levels in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are set to reach their lowest levels in 30 years, according to police. There were 2,794 domestic burglaries between April and September 2004, which is 27 per cent lower than the same period in 2003. If the trend continues for the rest of the year, Hampshire Constabulary is on track to see its lowest burglary rate since 1974. There was good news, too, on vehicle crime, which is set to reach a 25-year low. There were 8,289 thefts of and from vehicles during the first six months of 2004/05 – that is 21 per cent lower than the same period last year, and the lowest it has been since 1980. Hampshire Constabulary assistant chief constable (specialist operations) Steve Watts said the figures reflected a long-term downward trend in numbers of burglaries and vehicle crimes across the force. Mr Watts said: "This is a significant achievement and represents a lot of hard work not only by police officers, but also by the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who have taken heed of crime reduction advice. "But this is not a time for complacency. We need to continue to work with local communities and partner agencies to make sure we give burglars and car criminals a tough time. "I hope the force's Safer Homes and Safer Vehicles campaigns will help us to continue to improve our performance in these two critical areas." There was a slight increase in overall crime recorded by the force. There were 88,414 offences between April and September 2003, compared to 89,753 in the same period in 2004, which represents a 1.5 per cent increase. This rise was expected to take place as a result of the slow introduction of the new National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS). Officers say the effects of the new counting rules are now starting to level off. But figures show a 23.9 per cent increase in violent crime compared to the same period in 2003. There was a 78.9 per cent increase in recorded incidents of harassment, and figures show that common assault, harassment and domestic violence account for almost 60 per cent of all violent crime. Acc Watts said: "There was a significant increase in recorded incidents of violent crime. This is largely due to the continued effects of the introduction of the new National Crime Recording Standards and the more proactive approach the force is taking in encouraging reporting of incidents. "As part of our Safer Streets campaign we have been working particularly hard to encourage victims of hate crimes, such as homophobic and racist incidents, to come forward. "We constantly monitor crime trends and develop strategies to prevent incidents. "Our research shows that in a large proportion of violent incidents, those involved had been drinking alcohol. We are now taking an increasingly robust approach to managing the night-time economy to encourage people to moderate their behaviour and are making good use of new powers that are available to us, such as fixed penalty notices. "We have also been actively warning people that if they become drunk they are less able to take care of themselves and become more vulnerable to attack. In the long-term we hope that this will deter people from drinking excessively and help to reduce the number of drink-related incidents."
