VOTE: Crime figures in Worthing and Adur fall but do you feel safer?

Figures sent to the Herald by the police showed crime between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012, was down by three per cent across Adur and Worthing combined.

The greatest reduction, of 30.2 per cent, was from 43 to 30 incidents of controlled trafficking of drugs.

Vehicle interference was the second most lowered figure at 24.4 per cent, from 86 to 65, and violent crimes against a person down 13.8 per cent, from 2,260 to 1,947.

Overall, crime went down 5.2 per cent in Adur, from 3,272 incidents to 3,103; 0.8 per cent in Worthing north, from 3,103 to 3,079, and 3.1 per cent in Worthing south, from 4,218 to 4,088.

However, fraud and forgery went up 30 per cent, from 310 to 403, and theft and handling of stolen goods 11.6 per cent, from 2,790 to 3,115.

Worthing and Adur’s district commander, Chief Inspector Ian Pollard, said: “We’re delighted to see the reductions in crime across the area, which has been the culmination of hard work and dedication by a committed team of officers and staff.

“There have been a number of initiatives and projects introduced which have undoubtedly contributed to this reduction, together with addressing issues of concern early on and listening to local people.

“This collective approach has, I feel, contributed to the reduction in violent crime. It is also worthy of note that Adur is a low crime area, anyway, when compared to other parts of the county and country.”

With the statistics showing crime is falling do you feel safer?

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