Crime increase in Consett North ward
Tonight’s Crime Forum at the YMCA was a rather disheartening event. The opening statement was that crime in Consett had risen by 5% whereas in the wider area it had actually decreased by 8.5%.
These statistics were mirrored by the feelings of a number of people at the meeting who had obviously been disturbed by the spate of arson attacks on cars and wheelie bins which left them feeling nervous and threatened.
I quote the police report “Consett North - in particular the area surrounding the Police Station has seen a problem in damages, specifically two types of offences. There have been a number of arsons mainly wheelie bins but there have been one or two attacks on cars and allotment buildings. There has been a high profile operation with assistance from the Fire Service and a variety of tactics have been used but still information is thin on the ground”.
The truth is, there is no magic bullet to cure this problem - but it has to be cured. The only way is for all residents to be vigilant and to let the police know anything suspicious we see or hear. Intelligence and information painstakingly gathered and put together will eventually pinpoint the culprits - but the police cannot solve this situation on their own.
The best news was that crimes of violence against the person had fallen 15.8% thanks to structured visits to licensed premises. Well done to the Police for that.
You can see a full record of incidents below:
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