Steve Says Crime Is Increasing

Crime Figures 

Last week I reported that total Police recorded crimes in Brighton and Hove is declining and promised to provide a little more detail.

I mentioned this good news in order to show that all is not doom and gloom when examining the effectiveness of some of our public services

In studying the detail I found that in the first half of 2015/16 (April – September 2015) there were 11,649 police recorded crimes in Brighton and Hove compared with 11,292 for the same period last year.

You may ask, as I did, if this is a typing error as surely this is an increase not a decrease.

I then find that the headline in the council report means that the increase, yes the increase, is described as a decline because crime has gone up by 2.5% compared with a rise of 3.6% last year.

Crime has increased but less steeply than in 2014/15. Violent crime resulting in injury has increased by 5% with 1,268 incidents. Convictions have gone down.

It is against this background that Neighbourhood and Community Policing is being drastically cut if not ended.

Police officers are being withdrawn from our neighbourhoods and our elected councillors say nothing.

The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner and senior police officers plough ahead with massive cuts that nationally are only exceeded by the cuts in Greater Manchester.

The only opposition has come from community activists and the Police Federation representing police officers on the front line.