The Crime figures for last year that being the period of April 2005 until April 2006 has shown a downward trend, over the preceding period of 2004/2005.
In general reported crimes have fallen from 233 to 174 a reduction of 59 crimes.
Over this period the numbers of detected crimes have risen, although there are no direct figures for the beat, figures for the Taunton sector, which includes the beat have shown an increase from 18.9 % to 26.3%. The average for the force is now 23.2% It does however only take a small increase in crimes to have a dramatic increase in percentages.
As we know statistics are wonderful things, they are no good if you are a victim of crime and at least 174 of you were. The neighbourhood watch scheme is a great way of keeping a watch on our communities, unfortunately I can only cover so much, along with Jo, during a week.
Information we have received is always useful, for those who were victims of the numerous outbuilding break- ins, you may be pleased to know that all information has been passed to CID who are pursuing the arrest of a suspect.
The start of April 2006 heralded a large change in the way the District is being policed. The full details however were not made clear for a number of weeks. It is to organise the beat boundaries alongside local Government wards in line with Central Governments guidelines on Neighbourhood policing.
The upshot of this is that the Beat to which you form part of has changed in size. The parish of Huish Champflower has become part of a Williton beat, covered by PC Dave Masters.
The Langford Budville, Nynehead, Oake And Bradford on tone areas will be covered by PC Kevin Challes who’s beat formally covering most of the Blackdown hills has been moved further North.
I am upset that I have had loose a number of you, but I genuinely believe you have good officers replacing Jo and myself. One last thing due to this new system being imposed it has put a strain on the Ringmaster system and on speaking to Lindsey Stone it will take some months for the system to catch up.
