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Crimes cut by 1,000 as police turn the tide

SALFORD is winning the war against crime, according to figures just released by the city's police chief.

Chief Supt David Baines has revealed that an internal audit showed there were more than 1,000 fewer reported crimes across the city in the first six months of the year compared to last year.

The figure of 1,018 fewer crimes means a 14 per cent reduction on 2004.

Burglary was down by a massive 29 per cent, from 779 incidents in 2004 to 551 this year.

Chief Supt Baines said: "That is still 551 offence too many, but it shows we are making advances."

There were 58 fewer robberies, a reduction of more than 25 per cent.

But minor attacks described as "less serious woundings" were up slightly. Chief Supt Baines said this was due to the force "redrawing the boundaries of when we step in."

He said: "Our officers will not tolerate things like the use of foul language, where before they would have walked on by."

The figures will be seen as a vindication of Salford's most senior policeman, who described sections of the city's young as "feral youths" earlier this year.

He believes they are down to changes in the way calls to the police are handled, which allow officers to be quicker on the scene. He said: "Until recently all calls to the police went to a central control room where it was answered by anybody. We now have five sergeants in in that room who are from Salford and who can deal with calls sensitively to get it right first time.

"When the pressure is on we have trained staff who can direct officers to where they need to be.

"We can identify opportunities to arrest people sooner." At any one time between 35 and 70 people are left waiting for an officer. This time last year the figure was anything up to 150 people.

Cases with positive outcomes, which result in an offender receiving some form of punishment, are also up from 295 in October last year to 592 last month.

roland.hancock@men-news.co.uk

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What a load of bull!

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