THERE has been an almost 20% increase in household burglaries in Fermanagh in the past twelve months.
And while crime across the North is at an all-time low of 15 years, latest figures show that Fermanagh that is not the case.
The ‘F’ district which covers the Omagh, Cookstown, Fermanagh and Dungannon and South Tyrone areas also shows an overall crime drop at odds with Fermanagh, which rose.
Through a breakdown of crime figures, it can be seen that the biggest increase in specific crimes centred around shoplifting, which increased by 29% from 146 incidents to 188.
Secondly, domestic burglary increased by 19% from 136 recorded incidents to 162.
The most notable decreases came in the form of vehicle offences which decreased from 149 to 125 recorded incidents. Sexual offences were marginally down, from 60 incidents to 54.
In total, there has been an increase from 2,894 offences in 2012/13 to 2,921 offences in 2013/14.
District Commander, Chief Superintendent Kevin Dunwoody welcomed the statistics, describing them as broadly positive. He paid tribute to the dedication of police officers and staff in F District who are working with communities to reduce crime in their area.
“I welcome the news that crime has fallen across F District as a whole, but there is still work to be done. We should also remember that behind every crime is a victim.
“While statistics are an important indicator of how police are tackling crime we firmly believe that the quality of service we provide to victims and the public’s sense of feeling safe in their communities is at the heart of how we measure our success as a police service.
“We are working with the community and we take our responsibility to them very seriously. I pay tribute to all of our communities who have risen to the challenge of engaging positively with policing. Your phone calls and concerns have enabled us to respond to community issues to make your lives better.
“We recognise that the public demands and deserves a police service that is accessible, responsive, friendly and accountable. We will continue to listen to enable us to improve our service to you. We want to focus on getting the basics right because we know that personal, professional and protective policing is what communities want.”
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