| | Fact File | | + Crime rose by 1.2 per cent in Gloucestershire between 2000 and 2001 according to the latest Home Office figures. | | + There were 50,467 reported crimes in the county in the year to March 31 2001 - 596 more than the same period in 2000/1. | | + Robbery (theft with violence or the threat of violence, including street mugging), house burglaries, fraud and forgery offences went up. | | + Violent crime, sexual offences and vehicle crime went down | | + Find out full details of the latest county crime figures from BBC Gloucestershire News | | + Find out full details of the latest national crime figures from BBC News |
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|  | Tony Blair famously promised that a Labour government would be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime" in the early 1990s when he was shadow home secretary.  | | Gloucestershire Chief Constable Tim Brain |
But after five years in power the Prime Minister's pledge has a hollow ring - especially in Gloucestershire which has seen many more robberies and burglaries in the past year as well as a rise in fraud. Is Britain winning or losing the fight against crime? That's the question the BBC asked the nation on Wednesday September 18 in a day of programmes that aimed to get behind the figures and present a true picture of crime across the UK. As part of the day Tim Brain, Gloucestershire's Chief Constable, appeared on BBC Radio Gloucestershire - and we put some of your questions on crime to him. Mr Brain recently said that public perception of local crime levels was affected by "sensationalist reporting". So what did you think? Listed below are some of the questions we received. | Alex - Cheltenham | It seems to me that there has to be some correlation between the increase in anti-social behaviour in Cheltenham at night-time and the growth in the number of pubs and clubs in the centre of town. As much of the bad behaviour is alcohol-fuelled, shouldn't all businesses involved in the production and sale of alcohol pay a special levy which could be used to fund cleaning up operations and additional policing? | | Simon Fielder - Cirencester | What efforts are being made to curb anti-social behaviour? My crime experience - I beleive that Gloucestershire is no exception to the rule in the fact that ASB occurs. It seems the police have limited powers to deal with young youths often making many peoples lives a misery. What are the police attempting to do to decrease the problem and in the long term how can we make parents responsible for the actions of their minors? We must attempt to develop a long term stategy that involves the wider community. The Police and other groups ie schools must work together. | | Anonymous, Cheltenham | | I would like to ask what (if anything) is being done to curb the illegal use of so called "club cars". As I understand it this term refers to very cheap vehicles which are jointly purchased by groups of youths who then proceed to drive them, often recklessly, and almost always without the benefit of tax, MOT, or insurance. As and when they are involved in an accident, or are requested to stop by police, the usual response is to race from the scene, abandon the vehicle and make off on foot.To my knowledge there have been several quite serious incidents in the Cheltenham area as a direct result of these practices yet the police attitude when such incidents are reported is one of "what can we do? The culprits are untraceable". | | Anonymous, Gloucester | | Does he support the recruitment of new pcs from the ethnic communities and if, as I expect, the answer is yes, what is he doing about it ? Is there still a gulf between the police and the community? | | Martin, Tewkesbury | A few months ago I took my daughter to Tewkesbury Police Station to have her bike post coded. She was told they did not have the equipment and was directed towards a cycle shop in the town. They in turn suggested there was nothing they could do to help. What on earth is going on? Does the force want to encourage young cyclists to protect their property - or not?
Postscript: she had her bike stolen last week!!!!! |
Find out more about Cracking Crime at www.bbc.co.uk/
crackingcrime |
