County's crimes down 9.5pc
The number of recorded crimes in Staffordshire has fallen although the amount of violent crimes in the county has gone up again.
Staffordshire Police Authority was told yesterday that the overall total of crimes recorded in the county fell by 4,007 between April and September, a drop of 9.5 per cent compared to the same time last year.
But the incidents of violent crimes against people increased by three per cent from 4,902 to 5,050.
The total number of crimes for the six month period was 40,285.
Staffordshire Police has also said it is seeing public confidence in how it tackles anti-social behaviour increase.
Serious acquisitive crimes, which include domestic and business burglary or robbery, distraction burglary and theft of or from a vehicle, fell by 19 per cent down to 5,702 from 7,056.
And business-related crime dropped by 13.8 per cent.
Offences such as shoplifting and commercial robbery and burglary fell from 5,670 to 4,889.
Assistant Chief Constable Douglas Paxton said: "Tackling violent crime is a force priority. A great deal of work has already been done to try to understand the different types of triggers and situations that can escalate to violence.
"We recently held a force-wide workshop to establish best practice in dealing with different types of risks which can vary across the county.
"The force continues to build on how we deal with incidents of domestic violence."
He added: "We are pleased that the drop in overall crime continues and there are fewer victims of crime in Staffordshire. The fall in business crime is very encouraging particularly in light of the economic climate."
The latest British Crime Survey figures show that 48 per cent of Staffordshire people agree that the police and local councils are dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their local area.
