Kent Crime Falls
Recorded crime in Kent fell last year, according to Government figures published today. The county has one of the lowest levels of overall recorded crime in the South East, a region with one of the lowest levels of crime in England and Wales.
Overall recorded crime fell by 873 offences (0.6 per cent) between April 2004 and March 2005, compared with the same period the previous year. Two-thirds of people surveyed by Kent Police felt that crime had not increased in their local area compared with two years ago.
Burglaries and vehicle crimes continue to fall in Kent, dropping by 58 per cent and 56 per cent respectively over the last 10 years. Levels of drugs offences and fraud have also dropped.
Offences involving firearms remain very rare - on average there are fewer than nine offences a month - although there was an increase of 39 offences over the previous year. This was largely due to an increase in the use of imitation weapons.
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Ainsworth said:
"Kent remains a safe county and we continue to work to stay one step ahead of the criminals, while providing an even better service to the victims of crime.
"Recent successes include drugs operations and our work against the gangs stealing cash machines (ATMs) around the county, where a lengthy enquiry has now resulted in a total of 38 arrests.
"Earlier this year we introduced the Kent Policing Standard to let people know what kind of service they should expect from us.
"We continue to work closely at neighbourhood level and with local communities to tackle local problems. By working with residents, businesses and other agencies we are determined to deal with the issues that can cause worry for local people."
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