Police covering Bourne and The Deepings face a major challenge to cut the number of burglaries and thefts from vehicles in the area – although reported crime overall has dropped by ten per cent.
Figures from Lincolnshire Police for Stamford district, including Bourne and The Deepings, show that violent crime fell by just over five per cent in 2012-13 compared to the same period last year.
Serious sexual assaults were down by more than 22 per cent, other sexual offences fell by just over 27 per cent, burglaries of business premises fell by just over 19 per cent and there was a big fall of almost 70 per cent in the number of reported arson cases.
Other cases of criminal damage went down by six per cent, while fraud and forgery crime fell by almost 22 per cent.
But worryingly for the police, domestic burglaries jumped almost 28 per cent from 97 cases last year to 124 for the same period this year and a similar picture emerged for theft from vehicles which went up by 54 from 197 last year to 251 this year.
Insp Mike Burnett, local policing area inspector for Stamford district, said: “Overall, we have seen a generally good year with crime falling by around ten per cent.
“But there were a couple of obvious exceptions, particularly burglary and theft from vehicles.
“We saw a series of burglaries in April and May in the Deepings area where an offender was arrested and charged in relation to the offences.
“There was also a small series of burglaries in Bourne that remain undetected, but the main issue of the year has been the theft of goods from cars in the Bourne area.
“These offences peaked in December 2012 and a total of five arrests were made in relation to this type of the crime in the area.”
Insp Burnett assured residents that his team was monitoring the problem but he also advised them to play their part in preventing crime.
He said: “Overall we have a picture of improvement, with some issues that led to an increase in certain types of crime.
“We aim to improve our performance over the next year or so and I am confident that we can reduce crime and improve our detection rates.
“We would urge the community to continue their support for our officers and report any suspicious activity in their areas in a timely fashion as this really increases our chances of making key arrests.
“The other main message is to look after your property, lock doors and windows at your home and car and never leave property on display in your vehicle.
“If people take these simple steps, they can drastically reduce their chances of becoming a victim of crime.”
Coun Sue Woolley, Lincolnshire County Council member for Bourne Abbey, said: “My initial reaction is to be pleased that overall crime has fallen by ten per cent in the area.
“Any reduction has to be good news, but I assume this is reported crime and so would always wonder how much isn’t being reported.”