Rising crime figures in Worthing

Statistics for the year from April 1 up until the beginning of November show an increase of 6.4 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The police detection rate '“ the number of crimes for which someone is charged '“ has remained unchanged at about 26 per cent.

There was a worrying increase in serious violent crime, which increased by 120 per cent.

Public violence down

Changes in the way such crimes are recorded have inflated the figures, with attempts now being recorded alongside actual assaults.

Despite this, public-place violent crime is falling.

One of the areas of concern was the 65.2 per cent increase in arsons, 15 more offences than last year.

There were also steep increases in burglaries and thefts, although there were significant falls in cases of criminal damage (-10 per cent) and vehicle crime (-3.2 per cent).

Chief Inspector Howard Hodges said the rises in burglaries were accounted for by a few single individuals committing several offences in a short space of time, often during a single morning or weekend.

Key burglars caught

He said three such serial burglars had been charged and remanded in custody, which instantly and noticeably reduced the number of burglaries reported.

He said: "While we have seen an increase since April, that increase doesn't relate to a general upturn in burglary, it relates to three distinct offenders who have been very active in a short space of time."

He said the increase in thefts was also worrying.

"We are vulnerable to organised crime groups, predominantly eastern European women, coming to Worthing and preying on elderly victims.

"With an offence of burglary or distraction burglary, we recognise elderly people's health can deteriorate after falling victims to it.

"With purse thefts, it is the same. These victims are in their late 80s and early 90s, their personal space has been violated. It's a priority for us to investigate that."

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