CRIME in Stevenage has fallen according to statistics released today, although there has been an increase in crime levels in North Hertfordshire.

Between April 2010 and January 2011, all types of crime in Stevenage decreased by 6.9 per cent, compared to the same period before that. There has been a slight increase of one per cent in North Herts.

In Stevenage, all types of crime have decreased from 5,806 to 5,406. The biggest drops are for burglaries and attempted burglaries, which are down 21.8 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.

Violent crime is also down by 14.4 per cent and anti-social behaviour by 17 per cent.

But there are some increases in crime across certain areas, including robbery which has increased by 20 per cent, and shoplifting, which is up by 1.4 per cent.

Crime in North Herts rose marginally, with 5,394 reported crimes in the last 10 months in comparison to the 5,324 in the same period the year before.

Violent crime and burglary have both increased, by 0.9 per cent and 12.3 per cent respectively.

But there has been a large drop in robberies in the area, with a decrease of 46.7 per cent. Shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are both down 13.7 per cent and distraction burglaries have dropped by 23.1 per cent.

“I’m very pleased with these figures that build on several years of continuous crime reduction and have been achieved during difficult times with regards to resources and finances,” said Chief Constable Frank Whitely.

“It demonstrates that Hertfordshire Constabulary and our partners remain focussed on driving down crime in the county.”

Crime levels in Hertfordshire and across the country have also decreased. Between September 2009 and 2010, overall recorded crime in the county fell by 12 per cent, with 6,500 fewer victims of crime compared to the previous year.

Rates of crime in the county are also below the national average, with 62 recorded offences per 1,000 compared to a national rate of 76 and four offences per 1,000 for violent crime compared to the national rate of seven out of 1,000.

“These results confirm Hertfordshire’s place as one of the safest counties in the country and I would like to thank our officers and staff for all the excellent work that they do in keeping that way,” said Stuart Nagler, chairman of Herts Police Authority.

“With the financial challenges ahead, it is even more important that we work together to keep crime low and all our communities safe.”