[18 JUL 00] WARWICKSHIRE CONSTABULARY NEWS
Crime Rise Shock For Coventry

Crime in the West Midlands force area is growing faster than in any other part of the country. But Warwickshire has seen only a tiny increase in the number of reported offences.

New figures revealed today showed the West Midlands Police are dealing with a 16 per cent increase in recorded crime, higher than any other force.

The average police service in England and Wales saw a 3.8 per cent increase, and some areas saw a fall.

Home secretary Jack Straw said the figures for the West Midlands region – covering four forces in a wider area which all reported increases - are ‘disappointing’.

In Coventry there were more than 40,000 crimes in the last 12 months - a rise of nearly 15 per cent in the last year, slightly under the West Midlands average.

There were more than 4,300 burlgaries and 800 robberies in Coventry alone.

There was a fall in the number of burglaries and the amount of vehicle crime, but crimes of violence has been surging forward.

There were 364,887 reported crimes in the 12 months, up to March 2000 overall for the force covering Coventry, Birmingham and the Black Country.

The Warwickshire Constabulary saw its number of crimes rise by 0.3 per cent to 38,593 in the same period. But burglaries in Warwickshire have been on the increase.

The force launched Operation Impact, which has started to reverse the trend and figures eased off for later in the year.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Derek Cake said the figures for the county reinforced Warwickshire’s strategic crime reduction scheme.

He said:

“These figures are useful and help us review our performance against targets.

“There are areas which we need to improve. I am concerned about the underyling upward trend in violent crime, particularly robbery.

“We have already begun to review, along with all our crime and disorder partners, how we can be more effective at tackling this disturbing trend.

“I am particularly encouraged by our achievements in respect of burglary which would not have been so successful without the wholehearted support of the community.”