NEW figures have reveal that Chester has enjoyed another major drop in crime over the past 12 months.
The latest Home Office statistics released this week show overall recorded crime in the county fell by six per cent in Chester – three per cent more compared to the rest the region.
The number of robberies plummeted, out-performing the North West reduction of 20 per cent by seven per cent, a 26 per cent improvement on national figures.
Burglaries at homes in and around Chester between December 2009 to December 2010 have fallen by 15 per cent following a crackdown on prolific offenders by Cheshire Police.
In addition, the Home Office figures show that criminal damage, identified during community meetings as a big concern to residents, fell by 18 per cent.
Cheshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Phil Thompson said: “I hope members of the public will be reassured by the figures with fewer victims of crime and less violence against people and their homes.
“The figures show we are making the right decisions and I hope local people will support us as we move forward with the changes we are making to policing in Cheshire.
“I want to reassure local communities that we will continue our efforts to bring down crime by targeting those individuals who strike fear into the heart of our communities.”
Multi-agency work has helped to improve the perception of anti-social behaviour in the area, according to the new figures.
Just 10 per cent of residents perceive there to be a high level of anti-social behaviour in Cheshire, compared to 12 per cent in the North West region as a whole and 14 per cent in England and Wales.
Despite improvements in many of the key areas, Cheshire Police have seen a rise in sexual offences by nine per cent and a hike in fraud and forgery compared with the rest of the region.
Drug offences have risen six per cent above the regional average and 11 per cent higher than the national figure of -1 per cent.
Mr Thompson said: “Alcohol and drug use pose particular challenges with both offenders and victims being influenced by their effects. Alcohol in particular is a British-wide social problem and one the police cannot solve alone.
“My officers and staff regularly deal with the impact of both alcohol and drugs on people’s lives. They are called on time and time again to react to the impact of drugs and alcohol on people’s behaviour.”
He said drinking blighted the streets, homes and families of Cheshire and added: “We all need to play our part to make our communities as safe as possible. The constabulary will continue its focus on ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ face of alcohol, targeting prolific offenders and enforcing the law.
“As the warmer weather and Easter and May Bank holidays approach I hope everyone who lives, works or socialises in Cheshire plays their part and when the Home Office crime figures are released in July we see a continuing fall in the number of crimes being reported in Cheshire.”