Commissioner: “Our police are winning the fight against crime”

The county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick heaped praise on his officers following a positive set of crime figures.

The data reveals that between April and December there was a three per cent fall in recorded offences compared to the same period in 2012.

This represents 853 fewer crimes in total.

There were big falls in anti-social behaviour (by 18.1 per cent), burglary(by 13.7 per cent) and vehicle crimes (by 13.4 per cent).

Mr Hardwick said: “The latest performance figures show that once again in Lincolnshire we are winning the fight against crime.”

He added: “I put the reductions in crime down to the hard work of officers and staff within communities.”

Sexual offences were up by 12.7 per cent – following a national trend in the wake of the high profile Jimmy Saville scandal – and theft/shoplifting were up by five per cent.

A separate set of figures released last week also revealed a fall in offences committed in Lincolnshire.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales showed there had been a 10 per cent fall in recorded crime (excluding fraud) in the year up to the end of September, compared with the previous 12-month period.

The average across England and Wales was four per cent, with Lincolnshire showing the second biggest fall.