WHILE recorded crime in Essex has risen by six per cent, the rate of rise is lower than the average increase of seven per cent recorded across the nation.o

And police insist that Essex remains a safe place to live, pointing out that of the 40 forces across England, only four had a lower crime rate than Essex.

The figures released by the Home Office calculate crimes per 1,000 people. The 113,150 crimes recorded in Essex during 2001-02 gave a crime rate of 69 offences per 1,000 people, against a national average of 104.

Households in Essex were far less likely to be burgled than anywhere else in England except Surrey, with 93 burglaries per 10,000 homes. This means Essex residents have a less than one per cent chance of being burgled. The national average was 215 burglaries per 10,000 households.

Essex saw 84 violent crimes per 10,000 people, compared with a national average of 154 per 10,000.

And the overall detection rate for all offences in Essex was 26 per cent compared with the national average of 23 per cent.

Essex's detection rate for crimes of violence against the person was 79 per cent against a national average of 69 per cent.

Assistant Chief Constable (Crime) Joe Edwards said: "While any increase is unwelcome, the report shows Essex in a good light by comparison with the national picture.

"Many of the offences recorded involve minor damage and disputes between alcohol-fuelled young men which get out of hand. It is also true that police have been encouraging victims of domestic abuse to come forward, rather than suffer in silence. This will continue to be the case.

"But however you look at the statistics, they set a challenge for both the police, other agencies and the law-abiding community. Essex Police is taking a determined approach to combating crime, with initiatives ranging from the preventive Arrest Referral Scheme and projects with councils to improve the quality of life to intelligence-led operations against criminals.

"It is important that the public provide information which helps officers to work on their behalf against criminals."

During the past year, the Arrest Referral Scheme put 345 arrested drug users in touch with trained staff who arranged support to wean them off their addiction.

New national crime recording rules, which came into effect in April, mean an offence is recorded even if the information is vague or the person reporting a minor matter does not want any police action.

July 16, 2002 11:00