CRIME in the Petersfield area has risen for the first time in many years, but police have this week told townspeople there is no cause for concern.

The reassurance from Insp Steve Sargent of Petersfield police comes after national and Hampshire crime figures released by police this week showed a rise in reported crimes around Petersfield.

The number of crimes for the past year in Petersfield has been recorded at 1326 from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002 - a 13% increase on the previous year.

ÒCrime in this area has been falling for years,Ó said Insp Sargent. ÒThe 2000 to 2001 figure was the lowest for well over a decade so, in a way, itÕs not surprising to see it rise again.

ÒA lot of factors influence the crime rate, including unemployment, local economics, the proportion of young males in society and so on.Ó

Insp Sargent said he was not worried about the rise, though, as there is still less crime in the area than in the year before last and in previous years.

ÒWe havenÕt lost the battle yet,Ó he said.

The crimes increasing the most are miscellaneous thefts (up 8%), vandalism (up 17%) and thefts of, and from, vehicles (up 18%).

ÒTaken together, these three classes of crime account for almost two-thirds of all crime reported in this area,Ó said Insp Sargent. ÒThey are often the hardest crimes for the police to solve.Ó

He said there were ways to combat the increase.

ÒEveryone - including people at home, people at work and motorists - can help to defeat thieves by by taking more care of their property and not leaving anything in cars or vans.Ó

The amount of violent crime has stayed the same compared with last year, and almost all of it is solved since the identity of the offender is generally known to the victim, and so-called Ôstranger violenceÕ is extremely rare.

Good news for the elderly is that their age group remains the least likely to become the victim of any kind of crime - especially violence.

ÒDuring the year, only one assault was recorded on a person over 70, which was not a ÔmuggingÕ, but the result of a dispute over a parking space!Ó said Insp Sargent.