Welsh Government | Statistics Show that Investing in Tackling Crime Pays

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Statistics Show that Investing in Tackling Crime Pays

Local Government and Communities Minister, Carl Sargeant pointed to statistics on crime in Wales that are published today and said that they clearly show how investing in tackling crime does pay.

Tuesday 05 July 2011

The bulletin, Statistical Focus on Crime in Wales, shows that since 2003 crime in Wales has been consistently lower than in England with the gap narrowing in recent years.

Police recorded crime in Wales fell by 20 per cent between 2003 and 2009. Burglary and car crime in Wales fell by a third during this time while the rate of personal crime fell by a quarter and household crime by nearly a fifth.

In 2010 the proportion of detected crimes in Wales was a quarter higher than in England but the percentage of people in Wales that saw antisocial behaviour, drug use, or drunkenness as a problem in their area was a shade higher than in England.

Carl Sargeant said:

"The positive results in these latest statistics are testament to the hard work and commitment of our dedicated police officers and the good work that they are doing with Community Safety Partnerships to tackle crime in Wales.

"While Criminal Justice and Policing matters are not devolved to the Welsh Government, we are responsible for many key issues which contribute to crime figures.

"We are continuing to make significant investment in tackling Domestic Violence and Substance Misuse. In 2011-12 we invested over £35million in revenue funding alone in making our communities safer. This included £4.5m from the Safer Communities Fund, a further £3.6m from the Domestic Abuse Fund and £27.5m from the Substance Misuse Action Fund.

"I am sure that our investment has contributed significantly to the excellent results highlighted in this statistical bulletin. We will continue to build on this good work and encourage more partnership working to continue to tackle crime and its root causes. I think it also demonstrates the value of using public funding for front line crime fighting rather than expensive elected police commissioners."