Peterborough MPs call for more officers on streets as violent crime rises in city

Peterborough’s MPs have called for more officers on Peterborough streets after it was revealed the number of violent offences in the city had jumped.
Violent crime jumped in PeterboroughViolent crime jumped in Peterborough
Violent crime jumped in Peterborough

Last week official statistics showed there had been a 14 per cent rise in the number of recorded violent offences in the city to the year ending December 2019.

Overall there was a four per cent rise in all crime - although burglary, theft and shoplifting all saw a drop in the number of recorded offences.

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Peterborough MP said it was important ‘criminals were afraid, and not residents.’

He said: “Although some of these increases are about better reporting and action being taken, one fact is obvious – our city needs more police officers. The figures bear that out.

“Cambridgeshire Police are starting to give Peterborough more of the new officers funded by the Government. My early discussions with them have been encouraging, but I’ve been very clear.

“We need a zero-tolerance approach in Peterborough, so the progress on burglary and shoplifting is seen for other crimes. I want criminals to be afraid, not the law-abiding public.”

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North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara said: “These are troubling figures and they need to come down. From my meetings with the Police and Crime Commissioner as well as with Cambridgeshire Police I know they are working hard to tackle local crime and I have emphasised to them the need for Peterborough to get its fair share of new police officers.

“We need to look into the underlying reasons for some of these crimes where the figures are much higher than before. And it’s important that areas where there is increased crime are specifically targeted by the police to try to root out the criminal activity on those streets.”

Although violent offending went up by 14 per cent, the figures showed ‘violence with injury’ rose by one per cent, while ‘violence without injury’ rose by 15 per cent.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said: “There are a number of reasons why we see changes in crime trends.

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“These include targeted police activity to drive down offences or increase reporting, or changes in the way in which crimes are recorded.

“The force has dedicated crime reduction officers, who provide the public with practical steps they can take to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of crime.

“While it is encouraging that to see a reduction in some crime types we will not become complacent in our efforts to ensure that we protect the most vulnerable members of our community, while tackling our most dangerous offenders.

“The figures around violent crime need to be taken in context as they can encompass a number of different offences and scenarios from common assault to much more serious crimes. Assaults with no reported injuries account for a significant proportion of the increase.

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“This figure also includes incidents such as domestic abuse and hate crime, areas in which we have done extensive campaign work to encourage victims to come forward and report crimes and we will continue with our work around this.

“Improvements have also been made to how we record crime, which could have an impact on the stats.

“Shoplifting can have a huge impact on both businesses and those who work for them. Neighbourhood policing teams are working hard to stamp out crimes such as shoplifting in our city centres by issuing Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), Restraining Orders and Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions for some of the most prolific offenders.

“CBOs are a useful tool that allow the courts to address, manage and control a person’s offending behaviour, through requirements, such as engaging with support services or by placing prohibitive conditions on them to prevent anti-social or criminal behaviour.

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“We work closely with key partners and agencies to combat crime in local areas.

“Of course, the public play a vital role in supporting our work to tackle and prevent crime, and every day we receive information from them that makes a genuine difference to that work.”

Acting Police and Crime Commissioner, Ray Bisby said work was being done to tackle the rises. He said: “It is always important to remember that recorded crime is just one indicator of what is happening in our communities. There are changes in the way crimes are recorded as well as campaigns carried out by the Constabulary and partners encouraging the public to report crimes such as hate crime and stalking.

“Additionally, with violent crime and drug offences, it’s also important to note that issues such as knife crime cannot be tackled by policing alone. Working in partnership remains key to enabling the police and partners to carry out preventative work to help stop these crimes from happening in the first place.

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“Whilst any increase is unwelcome, I am assured that the Chief Constable is putting in place all the measures he can to reduce these numbers.

“The government’s national uplift programme, together with last year’s precept increase (policing part of the council tax) has enabled the Chief to recruit more officers into neighbourhoods which provides increased visibility within communities.

“The reduction in dwelling burglary and shoplifting is welcome however we can never afford to be complacent.

“I will continue to ensure the Chief Constable has the resources he needs to make sure Peterborough remains a safe place to live.”