Crime rate falls with temperatures
Lisa Hodge • Published 6 Dec 2010 14:00
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CRIME in Inverclyde HALVED in just one week - as blizzard conditions kept crooks cooped up indoors.
As the temperatures plummeted, the number of offences committed across the district also dramatically dropped.
According to the latest statistics from Greenock police, crime rates in the week from 27 November to 3 December dropped 49 per cent from the previous seven-day period.
And, compared with the same week last year, crimes reported to local officers slumped by an astonishing 67 per cent.
The Tele can also reveal there has been a whopping 74 per cent reduction in the number of offences reported compared to the same week in 2008.
Community police sergeant David Wilson said the harsh weather had definitely had an impact on criminal activity.
He added: "Obviously, the weather has an impact on the levels of crime we see being reported. It is particularly clear when you compare the figures from the week before the cold snap, or even the same time in previous years, when we have not seen snowfall this early.
"Obviously with the weather being as cold as it is, there are less criminals out on the streets.
"That said, the changes and restructuring within Strathclyde Police, which has enabled us to do more to target crime through our high-profile campaigns, and having more resources and bobbies on the beat, will have also undoubtedly made a difference."
Sergeant Wilson also revealed the number of road traffic accidents had dropped from 19 smashes between 27 November and 3 December in 2009 to just nine in the same week this year.
He added: "We've also seen a significant drop in the number of road traffic accidents this year, which, of course, we find very positive.
"It could be down to a number of factors, but we think perhaps people are taking heed of weather warnings and safety advice and just being more careful on the road, which obviously we would encourage."
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 06 Dec 10
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