Commissioner says cuts causing crimes

THE POLICE and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has blamed central government cuts after figures showed incidents of violent crime are on the rise.

Such incidents have risen across the county in the past year according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Lord Willy Bach said the figures were shocking and could be explained by cuts to police budgets over the past seven years.

Violent offences have been rising for the past few years - at a time when forces’s budgets were being cut and officer numbers falling.

However, the long term trend is more positive. Leicestershire Police recorded a total of 72,515 crimes in the 12 months to June this year.

In 2002/03, the total stood at 96,143 crimes.

Murder and manslaughter have remained relatively stable for a number of years, however, this year saw the force open an unprecedented 11 investigations, including fatal stabbings, before the end of May.

Lord Bach said: “These figures are shocking and in my view can, at least in part, be explained by the huge Government cuts to policing over the past seven years.

“Anyone who argues the taking away of massive resources, particularly in the number of police officers – nearly 25 percent in Leicestershire’s case – has no relevance to today’s increase are just plain wrong.”

Leicestershire Police Federation, which represents officers up to the rank of inspector, previously warned years of budget cuts were taking their toll, resulting in rising crime, stress levels and workloads for officers.

Leicestershire Police has made budget savings and cuts of more than £38 million and lost more than 500 officers since 2009.

About 1,800 officers serve the city and county at the moment, whereas at its height, in 2009, the force employed about 2,300.

Speaking earlier this year, Detective Chief Inspector Rob Widdowson, Leicestershire Police’s lead officer for violent crime, said: “We are aware of increases in some areas of recorded crime, which mirror the trend nationally.

“We review recorded crime levels routinely and analyse predicted peaks in offending.

“Where we identify likely increases, we seek to implement policing operations to combat this.”

The force is running the Lives Not Knives campaign to warn of the consequences of carrying a blade to reduce knife crime.

The campaign was provoked by a series of stabbings, some of which were fatal.

Det Chief Insp Widdowson said: “We deal robustly with those involved in violence and seek every opportunity to bring offenders to justice.”

Tiffany Lynch, chairman of Leicestershire Police Federation said rising crime was a consequence of public spending cuts.

Ms Lynch said: “Our members have been telling us for a long time that the demand on an already thin blue line is too great.”

Sexual offences have risen for the past five years.

Previously, the force has said it believed this reflected victims’ growing confidence in reporting offences.

Crime minister Sarah Newton said: “We know that some of this increase is likely to be genuine. Which is why we have taken urgent action to stop these crimes and keep our communities safe.

“This week we began consulting on tough new laws to crack down on acid attacks and knife offences. Our Domestic Abuse Bill will help to bring this heinous crime out of the shadows and ensure victims receive both support and justice, as we invest £100m to prevent and confront violence against women and girls.”