LATEST annual crime figures published by Surrey Police show that overall crime in the West Surrey Division has fallen by 6.4 per cent, with special initiatives against burglary and vehicle crime apparently paying dividends and detection rates also up. Less satisfactory is the record on violent crime, up three per cent in Waverley, with 936 offences. Surrey, where crime overall fell by 3.3 per cent, saw a 10 per cent increase in violent crime and can no longer boast that it is safest county in the country. Nevertheless, it still holds second place to Wiltshire. In Waverley from April 2004 to March 2005, overall crime fell by 11 per cent, with 5,315 offences compared to 5,972 the previous year. The number of thefts of and from vehicles is down by 23.2 per cent in the borough, with 546 offences compared to 711 the previous year. Police attribute this to the relaunch of the Surrey Police vehicle-crime campaign in May 2004, aimed at targeting offenders and telling the public how to make their vehicles a less attractive prospect for opportunistic thieves. The number of residential burglaries in Waverley fell by 5.9 per cent to 272 and the police claim credit for two anti-burglary campaigns, in the summer of 2004 and the spring of 2005, advising people how to improve security and informing persistent burglars that under new laws, their criminal record could now count against them at any future court appearances. The 10 per cent rise in violent crimes in Surrey is, the police claim, consistent with that seen in other forces. Some of the increase is attributable to changes in Home Office counting rules as some offences, such as indecent exposure, were previously counted in the "other crime" category and are now counted as sexual offences and, therefore, violent crimes. There were 21 incidents of more serious violence in Waverley, compared with 18 the previous year. "The majority of the increase in violent crime in Surrey is due to more minor offences such as harassment and common assault. In addition to this, many violent crimes which would not normally be reported to police are now being formally dealt with as more officers are patrolling town centres on Friday and Saturday nights," said a Surrey Police press release. In Waverley, robbery dropped by 33.3 per cent from 30 to 20 incidents. There was a 43 per cent increase in robberies detected, an 16.5 per cent rise in violent crime offences detected, and a 39 per cent increase in public-place violent crime offences detected. West Surrey Chief Inspector Duncan Greenhalgh said: "It must be highlighted that levels of crime remain low, in comparison with national figures, in both Waverley and Guildford. The low levels of crime and disorder mean that in west Surrey you are less likely to become a victim of crime. "The substantial reductions in dwelling burglaries and auto crime in both boroughs should be seen as a significant improvement, and reducing these offences will continue to remain a top priority. "Our hard effort in solving crime as reflected in the increase in detections should also be noted, as it means that we are bringing more offenders to court to face justice." The police claim that with crime levels remaining low in Surrey and more police officers on the streets, the public are starting to feel safer. The latest public survey on policing in the county, carried out in the autumn, showed that 73 per cent of people in Surrey felt safe walking alone in their area after dark, compared to last year's 47 per cent, and 97 per cent felt safe during the day. In addition, 83 per cent said they had seen a uniformed officer in their area at least monthly and only six per cent had not seen a uniformed officer, compared to 58 per cent last year. The Home Office last week also commented on the data released, which shows how levels of crime are changing across the country based on the BCS (British Crime Survey) and police- recorded crime statistics. The figures showed that, overall, the South East has one of the lowest rates of total recorded crime, with 90 offences per 1,000 population. The BCS indicates there was a significant decrease in the rate of vehicle theft in the South East but that the proportion of people in the South East who have been a victim of a personal crime at least once, was significantly higher than the average risk for England and Wales. However, due to the proportion of South East residents who commute to work or travel for social activities, many of these crimes are likely to have been committed against them while outside the region, particularly in London. John Scott, Home Office regional director for the South East, said: "Overall, recorded crime rates show that the South East remains one of the safest parts of the country. "Effective partnership working across the region is responsible for the excellent reductions in burglary, robbery and vehicle crime in the South East. "Specific programmes that target the most problematic drug-using offenders and those few people committing very high levels of crime are really paying off in terms of less crime, fewer victims and lower fear of crime. "However, when I look at the detail of today's figures it is clear that there is no room for complacency. "The stricter methods of crime recording that the police now use have revealed the true extent of violence in our communities, both at night in and around the pubs and clubs, and behind closed doors with domestic violence. "This is why the Home Office, the police, local authorities, health professionals and other partners are working so hard to tackle these problems together." John Scott said there was much work yet to do.
