Burglaries on the increase!

In an article in the Daily Post on the 21st February 2009, Inspector Paul Firth the Community Safety Inspector Wrecsam and Flintshire released figures that showed that burglaries had increased 25% on 12 months ago. Inspector Firth tried to justify this increase in crime by linking in to the economic recession.

THe following is a letter which I sent and which was published in the Daily Post today:

Dear Sir,

So the North Wales Police ‘good news story’ of a decline in the number of crimes is over (Credit Crunch Crimewave, Post, Feb 21), where it is reported that the number of burglaries is up 25% on the same period last year. What is interesting though is the ease with which this increase is attributed to the credit crunch and the economic downturn; where is his evidence to support this assertion? I would suggest that to attribute this increase to a recession that only started half way through the year is pure ‘spin.’

Regular readers of this column will recall several articles over the years quoting the Deputy Chief Constable Clive Wolfendale trumpeting North Wales Police’s success in reducing crime because of ‘innovative policing strategies,’ there was no mention then that the reduction was due to an economic boom so why should we assume that an increase in crime now is down to the economic downturn. If we turn Mr Wolfendale’s assertions on its head we could assume that an increase in crime could be attributable to a failure of policing initiatives.