Crime is down by 8 per cent but anti-social behaviour on the up

Crime is down by 8 per cent but anti-social behaviour on the up

24 May 2017

CRIME has fallen in Newry Mourne and Down by just over eight per cent in the last year — but anti-social behaviour is on the up.

The 8.3 per cent in total recorded crime is in line with the overall picture across Northern Ireland, where crime has dropped by 6.6 per cent and is at its lowest level for 20 years.

However, the Newry Mourne and Down policing district has seen a 7.7 per cent increase in anti-social behaviour, the second highest after Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon and Mid and East Antrim (up 8.8 per cent).

The figures appear to tally with repeated bouts of anti-social behaviour reported by Killough Road residents in Downpatrick over the past year, with bins being stolen and set alight and missiles thrown at emergency services.

Most policing areas in Northern Ireland saw a decrease in anti-social behaviour.

The newly released annual PSNI statistics compare April 2016 to March 2017 with the same period last year.

Locally, there have been decreases in the majority of crimes, including the possession of offensive weapons (-19.3 per cent), violence against the person (-12.2 per cent), burglary (-11.4 per cent), drug trafficking (-10.8 per cent) and theft (-8.5 per cent).

Those which have increased are public order offences (+8.3 per cent) and sexual offences (+3.4 per cent).

In terms of overall crime, Newry Mourne and Down had the fourth highest decrease amongst the council areas, with Antrim and Newtownabbey (-12.6 per cent) achieving the biggest drop.

Commenting on the statistics, Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris said: “The PSNI is committed to keeping people safe and we welcome the fact there has been a decrease in the number of crimes recorded.

“These figures show a snapshot of crime types we are dealing with but it is also important to acknowledge that although the statistics show the number of traditional crimes recorded has fallen, demand on policing is increasing and becoming more complex as traditional crime has given way to those less visible, more complex crimes such as public protection offending and cyber-crime.”

Of note in the Northern Ireland wide statistics were 28 victims resulting from paramilitary style shootings, double the number recorded in the previous year. 

Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris added: “The PSNI is working hard to bring those responsible for these types of crimes before the courts however we also need the support from the public in providing us with the information we need to bring the perpetrators to justice.”