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Issue:- 12 April  2012

Police Authority Chair Welcomes Latest Lancashire Crime Figures

THE Chair of Lancashire Police Authority, Cllr Malcolm Doherty, has welcomed the latest crime figures, revealed on 10 April 2012, highlighting the sustained fall in crime in county.

These latest statistics show that overall crime fell by 3.1% from 102,496 to 99,336. This means that, compared to the previous year, there were 3,160 fewer victims of crime in Lancashire during the 12 months ending 31 March 2012.

Acknowledging the hard work behind the ongoing improvements in police performance, Cllr Doherty said that these results had been achieved against the odds.

"This last year has seen the Constabulary implement a change programme that will have affected everyone who works in the organisation in some way, as we have sought to identify savings of around £43m. Change, in the early days, can often have a detrimental impact on performance, so the ongoing focus on improvement witnessed by the overall drop in crime is particularly impressive. We are aware that as funds become tighter, ongoing cuts in crime levels will become even more difficult to achieve, particularly when crime is already at historically low levels. There are certainly no ‘easy wins’ out there, it is all down to exceptional leadership and sheer hard work. The overall objective, to keep Lancashire residents safe, remains the most important element of what we do. I’m pleased to see such strong proof that the eye has not been taken off the ball, despite some testing challenges."
Cllr Doherty explained.

Cllr Doherty, who steps down from the Police Authority this May, has been Chair of the Authority since May 2005. Over the last seven years he has overseen an ongoing fight against criminality in the county, which has led to a significant fall in the number of crimes committed while the percentage of crimes successfully detected has become reliably one of the highest in England and Wales.

In November, the County will go to the polls to elect the first Police and Crime Commissioner for the County, who will take over responsibility for policing governance from the Police Authority.

Performance figures for Lancashire Police, for the year ending 31 March 2012:-

►  There were 635 fewer victims of serious acquisitive crime, with reports falling 4.8%, from 13,188 incidents to 12,553.

►  Vehicle crime reduced with 519 fewer victims; a decrease of 6% from 8,114 incidents to 7,595.

►  Criminal damage reports are also down 8% from 20,626 incidents to 18,978; that is a reduction of 1,648 fewer victims.

►  Robbery was down 3.8 % from 707 offences to 680 offences; a reduction of 27 offences.

►  All violent crime reduced by 2.9% from 24,168 offences to 23,475 offences; meaning there were 693 fewer victims.

►  Racially aggravated crime was down 1.8% from 604 to 593 offences (11 fewer victims).

►  Hate crime reduced by 9.4% from 1094 to 991 offences with 103 fewer victims.

►  Incidents of violence with injury rose by 5.8%, up from 10,048 offences to 11,013 offences.

Burglary in a dwelling figures have been at a 30 year low and now they have dropped even further, with 89 fewer people who reported burglaries in their homes last year. This is a further reduction of 2% (4,367 offences to 4,278), which has been achieved, in part, through force-wide Operation Julius, aimed at preventing crime, targeting criminals and detecting burglaries. The figures also show that 89% of those surveyed are confident in Lancashire Constabulary as a whole, and 85% of those surveyed who the police deal with are satisfied with the service provided to them.

A late night levy will damage business and further degrade the high street, Forum warns

"THE introduction of a ‘late night levy’ on businesses catering for the UK’s evening economy will hit the already struggling pub sector and further harm the profitability of high streets." That is the warning from the Forum of Private Business in a letter to Lord Henley, who has been appointed by the Government to conduct a consultation exercise looking at the controversial proposals. But the Forum says any such levy would be little more than a stealth tax against business, and in the letter argues that it also flies in the face of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ moratorium on new regulations for small business. The not for profit business support group is opposed to the levy concept in general which, it points out, is fundamentally contrary to the recommendations of the Portas Review; a report which makes the case for town centres to once more become a focal point of the communities they serve. The Government has already announced it was accepting virtually all the recommendations in the review following months of investigations by retail guru Mary Portas. Chief Executive at the Forum, Phil Orford, said:- "It’s a huge irony that the Communities Minister Grant Shapps wholeheartedly embraced the contents of the Portas Review, and remarked on the need to make high streets central to communities across the country. Yet on the other hand we have a Government plan taking shape to introduce a new stealth tax which directly targets high street businesses. It’s hardly joined-up thinking. We would also say this goes against the moratorium by BIS for new regulations for small firms. The Government argues it is business friendly, but then sends out a completely different message."

The Forum also argues that a levy would simply create more misery for small pubs just as the industry is shrinking at its fastest rate ever. Mr Orford added:- "Small pubs, like the rest of the small business community, are really struggling due to the current economic climate. Consumer spending is low, while business costs are on the increase; business rates have just gone up by 5.6%. Our members complain that business rates don’t represent value for money, so being forced to pay up to £4,400 a year, just to subsidise additional services is a massive slap in the face. The pub industry as a whole is already struggling and the introduction of a levy would pile further pressure on the sector.  The Forum believes imposing a levy is not the best way to deal with the issue of late night drinking either. Drinking culture is a complex issue, and won’t be solved simply by crudely levying extra taxes on firms, which is a sticking plaster approach at best. Frankly, extra taxes merely hurt the smallest businesses at a time when they should be growing and stimulating the private sector."

In its letter to Lord Henley, the Forum outlines a need for the Government to encourage councils and local communities to develop voluntary schemes and initiatives.

"Crime is a concern for small businesses as well as local authorities, so it would be in their interest to work in partnership with local communities. As acknowledged in the consultation document, such work is already underway, in the form of Community Alcohol Partnerships and Business Improvement Districts; models which could be promoted as examples of best practice."
added Mr Orford.

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