Reported crime in the Causeway and Glens area has fallen in the past year according to the latest PSNI statistics, released on Thursday 12 May.
There were 233 fewer incidents reported in 2015/16 than the previous year, a percentage drop of 3.6%. Across Northern Ireland reported crime increased by 1.8%.
Local District Commander Superintendent John Magill said: “The crime figures show that our strategy to police throughout the Causeway Coast and Glens District has been a success in the last year. Our focus is to prevent crime and reassure the public, and I am extremely pleased the statistics show that what we are doing is working.
“It is particularly heartening that domestic burglaries have fallen by 11.5%. Burglary is an area of concern within the community and it is therefore pleasing to see that a number of our prevention and detection initiatives have had the desired effect.
“I also note that theft offences have dropped significantly in key areas with a 14.3% overall reduction in thefts.
“We have also shown an improvement in our ongoing strategy to tackle drug crime. There was a 1.5% decrease in overall drugs offences, while possession offences fell by 2.8%. Whilst there was a 4.1% increase in trafficking offences, I am confident that we will continue to make inroads into tackling that issue in the coming year.
“Although we have seen a rise in public order offences and offences involving possession of offensive weapons, what this in reality means is that more offences have been detected and a greater number of dangerous weapons have been removed from our streets.
“I believe the crime figures for the past year show we are going in the right direction. However, I do acknowledge that there are areas where we can improve, and with the help of the community we can continue to build upon the areas in which we have already improved.
“Support from the Causeway Coast and Glens Policing and Community Safety Partnership, together with the support of the community across the District, has assisted greatly in achieving these successes. As we go forward, I would encourage people to continue to come to us with their concerns, to share information and to help us tackle the issues that matter most to them.
Over the next 12 months we will continue to work hard to prevent harm, detect crime, protect the most vulnerable and keep people safe.”
