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Partners in fighting crime
Crime reduction experts from across the country will gather in Hull next month to share experiences about how best to build stronger and safer communities
The rate of recorded crime in Hull has fallen by 41 per cent over the past three years.
That's impressive by any standards, but comparing it against a national target of 30 per cent over the same period shows how much has been achieved.
Only one other area of the country, Knowsley in Merseyside, has performed as well as Hull.
Hull is becoming a safer place to live, work, visit and study. As a result of the progress, Hull will host a national crime reduction conference at the KC Stadium in June.
Working together
Citysafe is Hull's crime-fighting partnership which brings together Hull City Council, Humberside Police, Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and Humberside Police Authority. Other partners include Humberside Probation Service, Hull Prison and Hull Community Wardens.
"We are delighted with the 41 per cent figure, as we not only want to cut crime but also reduce people's fear of crime," says Mark Charlton, partnership support manager for Citysafe.
"As crime falls, people feel less at risk of becoming victims themselves and this makes them more positive about their lives in Hull.
"No one organisation can claim the credit for the reduction in crime - it's the result of all these agencies working in partnership with local people.
"This is only the start of things to come. We intend to reduce crime and people's fear of crime even further in the years to come."
The result in detail ...
The 41 per cent reduction is the overall figure but within that, other detailed facts come to light.
Every type of crime has seen a drop. For example, car thefts are down by 62 per cent, domestic burglary by 54 per cent, criminal damage by 31 per cent, assaults leading to wounding by 24 per cent and thefts of bicycles by 23 per cent.
The number of recorded crimes in Hull was 36,542 in 2003/04 but this was reduced to 21,579 last year.
Why is crime falling?
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Mark Charlton, partnership support manager of Hull Citysafe |
There are many reasons but much of it is down to better intelligence and work to keep prolific offenders out of trouble.
Previously, an offender coming out of prison may have had great difficulty finding a permanent address or a steady job with prospects. This makes it easier for them to fall back into a drug habit and mix with other offenders, which more often then not, would lead to them once again committing crime.
"We break the cycle of offending by offering positive reasons to stay out of trouble," Mark Charlton adds.
"We've worked hard to provide stable accommodation for people leaving prison and help them link into job training and drug rehabilitation schemes.
"This can prevent a 'one man crime wave' from becoming active again in Hull on release from prison. This makes a massive difference to the crime figures.
"There are other reasons of course, such as CCTV and neighbourhood policing teams which have led to better crime detection rates, the issuing of fixed penalty notices for offences which have proven to be a crime deterrent to many people, and Community Safety Action Partnership meetings which are held in the community.
"These meetings give people a chance to inform us about which crimes are taking place and, we in turn, advise them on reducing their chances of becoming victims by, for example, ensuring they do not leave valuables such as bags on view in parked vehicles.
"All of these measures have played a part."
National co-operation
Citysafe is organising the conference at the KC Stadium in which crime reduction representatives (such as police and local government officers) from 44 regions around the country will attend.
Workshops will be held where good practice from one region can be shared with another, and a target will be set for crime reduction over the next three years which all the areas will strive to achieve.
"We'll be learning from each other to see what methods have worked, and where, and how the mistakes were made," adds Mark Charlton.
"There will be a genuine dialogue and sharing of knowledge to the benefit of everyone attending the conference.
"Hull's success in reducing crime is being noticed around the country and many delegates will want to learn from our success."
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For more information on Hull Citysafe visit the community safety section of www.hullcc.gov.uk
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