Crime goes down in Coleraine: PSNI

Area Commander Nicky Thompson revealed the figures (April 1, 2009 until March 31, 2010) at Monday's meeting of Coleraine District Policing Partnership.

"This reports shows that we have reduced the number of crimes recorded by 8.6% which has resulted in 393 less victims of crime in the Coleraine area and we have increased the number of offenders brought to justice by 3.4% which is above the Northern Ireland average," he said.

"This illustrates the commitment and dedication of all the officers and staff within the area to continue make our communities safer.

"Whilst these statistics show a positive outcome it must be acknowledged that there has been an increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads and we will continue to keep this issue as a priority."

Among the most significant areas of improvement was the target to increase the number of people reported to the Youth Diversion Officer for underage drinking. Last year, 82 people were reported compared with 214 this year - an increase of 161%.

Police were also tasked with reducing the number of domestic burglaries. Last year, there were 231 burglaries compared with 195 this year - a reduction of 15.6%.

Last year local police carried out 965 searches for drugs on premises, vehicles and persons compared with 1,222 this year - an increase of 26.6%.

There was a 380% increase in the number of Acceptable Contracts issued. Area Commander Thompson told the meeting that six ASBO applications had been tasked with increasing the clearance rate for breach of non-molestation orders. Last year the clearance rate was 67.9% but this year fell slightly to 67.7%.

Area Commander Thompson told DPP members that police would continue to proactively enforce breaches of non-molestation orders.

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