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North police claim 'austerity' offences are on the up

Jan 1 2012 by Michael Brown, Sunday Sun

POLICE say people in the North are turning to a life of crime to make “ends meet” after Government cuts.

After years of falling crime rates, chief constables have admitted that “austerity” offences are on the up.

A recent comparison by the Economic Policy Centre suggests that the number of robberies in one part of the region could have increased more than fivefold.

Meanwhile, according to the data from UKCrimeStats.com, burglaries are up by a third.

Assistant Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Adrian Robert, said while his force had last year seen crime figures fall to their lowest level ever, there was a worrying trend of lawlessness in recent months.

“Last year’s crime figures were the lowest recorded by Cleveland Police, meaning there were over 31,000 fewer victims of crime in comparison to 1991.

“However, despite this excellent backdrop, we have seen some recent increases in certain types of crime, leading to a 1.3% increase in the period April to October 2011.

“These coincide with the global and national economic situation, which is seeing increases in crimes such as metal theft and shoplifting.

“We understand these pressures are also being felt in other force areas. However, independent research sadly highlights that these economic effects are particularly acute in the North East of England, making the local challenge even greater.”