The most recent police recorded crime statistics for South Wales Police shows that the downward trend has continued and mark the lowest recorded figures since the 1980s.
For the 12 months to December 2013 compared to the previous year, overall crime in South Wales Police reduced by a further 0.5% (reduced from 83,534 to 83,089)
The force has continued to see reductions in robbery (6.8% or 28 fewer crimes), vehicle offences (10.1% or 1,068 crimes) and burglary dwelling (7.7% or 320 crimes). All crimes which can be extremely upsetting, sometimes life altering for the victims concerned. Drug offences have also decreased by 8.8%.
South Wales Police, Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said:
“These figures are testament to the commitment of both officers and staff to keep South Wales safe. South Wales Police is fully committed to reducing crime and working with our communities and partners to ensure our performance continues measuring up to public expectation.
“We understand that crime data can present a complex picture, but they are one of a range of measures to hold us and forces nationally to account. These quarterly snap shots, along with other information available enable us to see where we are performing well and where there is room to improve.
“From these figures we can see significant reductions in robbery, vehicle crime, burglary dwelling, criminal damage and drug offences, but we can also see that reports of bicycle theft and shoplifting have increased, which is a trend that appears to be developing nationally and one that clearly requires attention.
“We continue to work on reducing levels of violence, this includes domestic violence and violence fuelled through the consumption of alcohol and the recent positive report from HMIC in relation to our approach to dealing with domestic violence indicates how we are focusing on the victim and working with partners to deliver a quality service.
“Incidents of this nature are traditionally under-reported for a wide range of reasons. Clearly public confidence is steadily improving and as more people report incidents of violence committed against them then the figures we see today are likely to be far more reflective of the picture indicated by recent research conducted by Cardiff University which suggested reducing levels of violence across England and Wales . We are continuing to look closely at how we can encourage more victims of violent crime to feel confident and able to contact us and report their experience. This will ensure we have the best picture of what is happening across South Wales and as such deal with it more effectively
“We strongly encourage all victims of crime to contact police on 101 or 999 in an emergency with any information they may have.
Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, Alun Michael said:
“These figures show that real operational progress is being made to tackle and reduce the fear of crime, and this is central to public safety and to the levels of public confidence in South Wales Police. The exception is in the very areas of crime where we want to see people having greater confidence to report offences and to seek police help, namely in the reporting of violence, particularly violence against women and girls, and the reporting of sexual offences. Those figures are steadily increasing.
“Looking at the detail of reported violence, analysis suggests that the figures include more reports of domestic violence and less serious levels of violence – suggesting that there is less tolerance of violence – coupled with very subtle changes to recording practices which follow national guidelines.
“Reducing violence against women and girls has been a key priority since I took office and in that aim we have worked to develop close relationships with a wide range of local and public agencies to achieve this. It fits well with the strong leadership being given by Welsh Government and the increase in recorded domestic violence, suggests that these complementary initiatives are working in terms of encouraging victims to go to the police and to have greater confidence that they will be treated appropriately and with compassion.
“I am not saying that everything is perfect – there is clearly further work to do in tackling levels of violence in South Wales, and as yesterday’s report from Cardiff University showed there is a need for the Government to press ahead with the stalled initiative to introduce unit pricing for alcohol which is at least a contributory factor in 40 % of all violent crimes reported nationally today.
“There are challenges ahead for the police, given the savage cuts in the money provided by the Home Office in recent years, but I am pleased to report the positive engagement of many partners – particularly in local government and the NHS across South Wales as well as members of the community. Together we can ensure that we continue to cut crime while building the confidence of victims by providing them with support and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.”
