There were 1,290 fewer victims of crime in South Wales between October 2012 and September 2013, according to new figures released today.
The results show that crime within the force area fell by 1.5% reducing from 85,180 to 83,890 incidents in the last year.
Commenting on the results, released by the Home Office, today Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said:
“Reducing crime will remain a key priority for the Chief Constable and the force and the figures released today are testament to the commitment of both our officers and staff to keep South Wales safe.
“Despite the financial challenges the force has faced and will continue to face for many years, crime in South Wales continues to fall and this is something we feel very proud of.
The communities of South Wales continue to become safer and I am fully committed to continuing our hard work in reducing crime and working with communities and partners to ensure we understand their concerns and feedback
“In the last year, there have been notably fewer victims of burglary – a drop of over 13.6 %,( 607 fewer victims) one of the most significant improvements in the country.
“We know that this has been a particular concern for members of the public and one that we would continue to ask for their support in tackling.”
“Instances of robbery also fell by 12.9 % compared with last year and this is particularly pleasing when you consider the impact such offences can have on an individual.
“A 38% increase in the number of people now reporting sexual offences to South Wales Police is evidence of the progress being made locally to increase public confidence in this area.”
Mr Lewis continued: “We know that too often, and for a variety of reasons, these crimes go unreported and those responsible therefore go unpunished.
“Ensuring that victims of domestic or sexual violence feel comfortable and confident to report it to us remains of utmost importance and we will continue to work with Welsh Government and partner agencies to do all that we can to raise awareness of the issue and to prevent such instances from occurring in the first place.
“We continue to ask for public assistance in identifying those at risk and I would personally encourage members of the community to contact us immediately with any information they may have.
“We also remain committed to driving up our service standards and ensuring victims of crime receive an effective and responsive service and we have seen marked improvements in victim satisfaction levels in the past year with the latest survey reporting that the force is one the best performing in Wales and England.
“However we cannot become complacent and providing members of the public with a professional, high quality policing service will remain a priority for the force, whatever the reason for contacting us.”
