Serious crime on the decline

The recorded crime statistics, detailing the number of offences recorded from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012, show the Thames Valley had 149,766 offences compared to the 172,422 recorded in 2010/11, a drop of 13.1 per cent.
The national reduction is 4.2 per cent, meaning Thames Valley Police are the second best performing force in the country, coming second to Gwent with a reduction of 14.7 per cent.
One of the biggest drops was in violence against the person offences, which dropped from 35,906 in 2010/11 to 27,327 in 2011/12, a drop of 23.9 per cent compared to the national average of 7.2 per cent.
Sexual offences also fell from 2,195 to 1,961, a change of 10.7 per cent compared to the national average of 2.3 per cent, and robbery fell from 2,082 to 1,726, a fall of 17.1 per cent compared to the national average of two per cent.
Domestic burglary offences fell by 8.1 per cent and other burglary by 10.4, compared to national averages of 5 and 3.3 per cent respectively. Offences against vehicles fell by 17.4 per cent.
Chief constable, Sara Thornton, said: “The latest figures show another welcome reduction in crime across the Thames Valley and as always, it is encouraging to see the more serious categories of crime, such as sexual offences, violent crime and robberies, on the decline.
“This performance is down to the hard work and commitment of officers and staff, as well as the continuing support from our local communities, who have shown a real dedication to helping with the fight against crime.
“In real terms, these figures show there have been 22,656 less victims of crime in the Thames Valley this year compared to the previous, which is fantastic news.
“There is no room for complacency, and we will continue our efforts to reduce crime even further and make the communities we live and work in safer.”
Chairman of Thames Valley Police Authority, Khan Juna, added: "I’m delighted to see that crime has continued to fall in the Thames Valley.
"It is great news for the communities of the Thames Valley and confirms our commitment to our priorities, being to cut crimes that are of most concern to the community and to increase the visible presence of the police."