PC '˜expecting' crime rise in Market Rasen

PC Christopher Bell was at Market Rasen Town Council’s monthly meeting on May 2 to discuss incident statistics for January to April.

The figures - based on a 1,800 metre radius of Chapman Street - showed there were 11 thefts in January, 19 in February, 12 in March and just two in April.

PC Bell said: “There’s nothing really alarming in there [the statistics].

“There’s quite a lot for theft at the beginning of this year.

“We do still get shop thefts in Market Rasen but the figures were down to two or three offenders.”

PC Bell told the meeting officers had worked hard to bring the offenders to court, and get them jailed.

He added: “When they come back out again I expect them [the figures] to pop back up again.”

Coun Steve Bunney asked PC Bell how many people had contributed to the high figures.

PC Bell said: “The bulk came from two local offenders, Rasen born and bred.”

Coun Bunney said: “We’re talking about a fairly small number of people.”

PC Bell responded: “That’s the same with all crime trends.

“We’ve got an ongoing spate of quad bike thefts and Ford Transit thefts . We had one a couple of nights ago.

“They cause leaps within the figures and it draws on our resources as well.”

PC Bell said the stolen quad bikes were being shipped out of the county.

And he said criminals were removing the engines and gear boxes from the Ford Transit vans before setting fire to the rest of the vehicle.

Last month, the Rasen Mail reported how Lincolnshire Police had blamed a one-man crime spree for a ‘spike’ in shoplifting offences in Rasen.

Figures published by Police UK show 74 crimes were reported in February 2018 compared with 42 last February. According to the site, figures for February 2018 were the highest for any month in the past three years.