Crime in East Kent falls

The latest quarterly crime figures published by the Home Office today have revealed that crime across East Kent is down.

The area experienced an 11.4 per cent reduction in all recorded crime between October and December. Last year, 5,520 crimes were recorded compared with 6,227 for the same three-month period in 2006.

Robbery is down 5.6 per cent, criminal damage is down 11.3 per cent, home burglaries are down 11.7 per cent, theft and handling and drugs offences are down 20.7 per cent and vehicle crime is down 27.1 per cent.

The two rises have come in sexual offences and violence against the person.

There were 20 more sexual offences recorded for the 2007 period than in 2006; 90 up from 70. That represents a 28.6 per cent increase.

East Kent has seen a number of incidents being reported months and even years after the events, which contributes to this total.

And the violence against the person statistics also encompass domestic abuse and East Kent, and Thanet in particular, has seen a rise in people coming forward to report crimes that have led to the 14.1 per cent increase. That is 1,221 offences compared with 1,070.

Supt Chris Hogben said: “I am really pleased with these quarterly crime figures. It is a sign of real progress made in the policing of East Kent.

“There are challenges ahead for us in terms of violent crime, but it needs to be recognised that the increase in that category here is largely due to a rise in the reporting of domestic abuse.

“This can be seen as a success story with an awful lot of work being done to instil confidence to ensure the matters are being brought to our attention and the necessary interventions made.

“I do not believe there is more domestic abuse than in the past. People are now more willing to contact police to get help and stop it happening again.

“We have invested heavily in neighbourhood policing and all of our wards now have a PC and PCSO dedicated to delivering policing in the local community. If you do not yet know who your officers are, log on to www.kent.police.uk

“We would expect this to yield dividends in the coming year.”

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Harris said: “Kent Police is determined to continue to build on the progress the force has made in reducing the level of crime and bringing offenders to justice, while working closely with people in their communities to keep Kent safe.”