NW Leics LPU – April Update

April marks the start of the performance year for North West Leicestershire Local Policing Unit, and is an opportunity to reflect on how we have performed in the twelve months from April 2013 to March 2014.

This time last year we were celebrating a good year with a 12% drop in all categories of crime. This year we have seen a slight increase of 6%, although our overall reported crime is still below the reported figures for 2011-12.

I am disappointed that the number of house burglaries has risen by 21 (9.4%), although the level of house burglaries is still lower than in 2011-12, we will continue to focus our efforts to reduce this type of crime. Vehicle crime, which includes theft of and theft from vehicles has seen a significant drop with 73 (15%) fewer offences reported. It is good to see more people taking simple steps to prevent themselves becoming a victim of vehicle crime.

Levels of satisfaction by people reporting crime has increased and now stands at 87% of people who report crime to us as being satisfied with the service they receive. This has increased since last year from 78%, and as much as we want to drive our crime figures down I want to see our satisfaction figures move in the opposite direction.

Operation Tiger
Operation Tiger is a County wide operation focussing on tackling anti social behaviour and reducing crime. The operation was launched in October 2013 and across Leicestershire almost 500 people have been arrested and over 300 warrants have been enforced. In North West Leicestershire we are involved in the operation. Over the last few weeks we have;

Executed a search warrant and arrested two people in connection with a fraud offence 
Executed a search warrant and arrested three people in connection with drugs offences, and seized £500 in cash.
Undertook a proactive community engagement event at Donington Park. 
Ran a four day anti social behaviour operation with a dedicated car responding to calls and incidents.

Operation Tiger has been a great opportunity for us as it has allowed us access to resources from outside of our local policing area. Although the operation has finished we will continue to work hard to ensure we get the maximum benefit from it.

Off Road Motor cycles.

This is a problem not just within North West Leicestershire but across the county as a whole. I am aware in Ellistown at the Pitbanks, Measham and Thringstone of the nuisance and noise problems caused by off road motor cycles, and that it is a particular concern to many local people.

We have worked hard with our partner agencies as well as the landowners and local businesses to tackle this issue.

In two key locations at Pitbanks and Measham we have put in place signage which serves as a warning to off-road motorcyclists. We are also working with Bardon Aggregates to put in place large rocks which will make access to the site at Pitbanks very difficult for off road motor cyclists.

Over the course of the summer months we will high visibility and plain clothes patrols in all of the affected locations to carry our enforcement as well as gather intelligence.

Final note:

As I started with a look to 2013, it would be remiss of me not to say thank you to all of the staff of North West Leicestershire police for their hard work and dedication to making North West Leicestershire safer. Policing is a difficult job and sometimes it can be easy to take for granted what the team here does. Nobody sets out to do a bad job, and I accept that at times we get it wrong, not because we are corrupt, but because we are human.

So the next time you come across a member of my staff and you are pleased with the job they have done for you, take time to tell them, it makes a huge difference.

I look forward to speaking more with you next month,

Helena Bhakta