Sex attacks, violence, drug abuse, and burglaries have all increased dramatically in the last three months, police figures reveal.
Thames Valley Police says two rapes are reported every week somewhere in West Berkshire, while child sex abuse cases have risen 233% in the three months to the end of July.
The startling figures come on top of rapidly rising crime rates overall, which has seen burglaries from cars, homes, shops, and sheds rise to more than 300 a month.
Shoplifting is up 11%, with shopkeepers ringing in three thefts a day on average across the district.
Overall crime is up 14% on the three months on the same period a year ago, while the proportion of crime solved has fallen to 18% from 23%.
West Berkshire now has a higher crime rate than the Thames Valley average, but with a worse detection rate.
Living on Turnpike for nearly 30 years it is the worst I’ve seen it in all that time for crime. People are scared to go out at night. Some blame the recession, however, I feel it is more to d with the attitude by courts and police. Kids if caught are only given warning and sent on their way.
Watching a programme on crime with Nick Ross last week one of the police officers said “We can only contain it”; what!? Surely that isn’t the answer but to deal tough with those that wish to over step the boundary.
I'd be interested in how the figures compare with Reading. I understand that they 'suck' a lot of resources from other areas. I wonder if this is now starting to show.
The police figures seem to suggest more local crime is being reported. 14% more.
But the % of Crime Reported against Crime Committed is not quantified and therefore the governments figures maybe misleading the crime figures are undoubtedly higher than stated. What maybe counted as minor acts of vandalism (not if you are the victim) such as smashed wing mirrors will go unreported as the police won't be arsed to do anything about and victims won't waste their time. In the past people would have reported such incidents!
Have you got evidence to prove this or are you just typing out stuff you read in the Daily Mail again?
I don't read the Daily Mail... I'll leave that to you User.
Recently there was a Programme on crime - maybe you saw it? - and it stated that people are not reporting certain crimes as much. Also I am a member of a local NAG group and there survey has shown that certain local crime isn't being reported also.
I don't read the Daily Mail... I'll leave that to you User.
Recently there was a Programme on crime - maybe you saw it? - and it stated that people are not reporting certain crimes as much. Also I am a member of a local NAG group and there survey has shown that certain local crime isn't being reported also.
Wholly agree, unless we've become very tolerant. Who these days would bother to call the Police if they saw kids knocking heads off flowers in a local park? Did when I was a lad and that was before universal mobile phones. Frankly the crime numbers are almost meaningless, very few know what the categories are or mean - and the definition seems to change year on year, depending on what the Home office want to proove. Perhaps we ought to have a wholly independent and trusted 'data keeper' and perhaps a mechanisim for reporting crime after the event, even in cases where we aren't expecting immediate action. Suspect the picture would then be very different.
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