• The majority of all age groups felt safe in the town centre but this fell at night. This appears to be in line with the experiences of towns and cities on a national scale, where the character of the town centre is often different to that of the rest of the town.
• Terms of reference
• The Town Council had expressed concern that there seems to be a growing problem with crime and general disorder in the town and they asked for recommendations as to how the situation could be improved. They requested this account of crime in Southland.
• The information that follows is based on a survey of three wards in the town over the past two years. The survey was carried out by a local market research company and cost £75,000.
• The figures show that during the two years in question there were a total of 4,500 known offenders in Southland. A breakdown of the information illustrates that 77% of these were male, most offences were committed by offenders aged between 13 and 27, 67% of all motor vehicle crime was committed by offenders under the age of 16, the most common offence committed by offenders aged 18 to 20 was burglary.
• Findings
• Residents suggested that juvenile nuisance and breach of the peace were the biggest causes for concern. There was a widespread feeling that facilities for young people were totally inadequate and the main complaints were about teenagers ‘hanging around’, noisy neighbours and gangs, bad street lighting and young people drinking in public places.
• The total number of recorded crimes in Southland in 2018 was 14,777. This represents a crime rate of about 123 per 1,000 residents; that is considerably higher than the rates for both Southland and Northamptonshire as a whole. It is also a quarter higher than for England and Wales as a whole.
• The most common crimes nationally are assault and offences against cars. National assault rates include grievous bodily harm, actual body harm and a range of offences against the person. Burglary is the third most common crime nationally with aggravated burglary being the least common offence.
• In addition to recorded crime, Southland Police have also kept records of other incidents reported to them. These are not actual crimes in the sense the perpetrators have committed a criminal offence, but they have given rise to complaints from local residents. These can be divided into juvenile nuisances and breach of the peace. Local vandalism is included in this, as are breaches of the peace such as drunkenness and obstruction.
• Recommendations
• The Report makes the following recommendations: an increased police presence in the town centre, the introduction of CCTV cameras in the town centre, the provision of better facilities for younger people, and an increase in car park security systems.
• The most frequently recorded crimes in the area were burglary and crime against motor vehicles. A comparison of recorded crime in the following year paints a similar picture. There was a slight improvement over the previous year but the percentages remain higher than both the county and the national average.
• Methodology