Lead: Chief Inspector Neighbourhoods (Mick Williams)
Deputy: Community Safety Manager (Steven Hume)
Named Contact: Senior Community Safety Officer - Claire sills - Communitysafetyteam@stockton.gov.uk
Criminal damage was seen as a key priority for 1,853 people with 320 saying it should not be a priority. It was ranked as fourth for under 16s and BME respondents and for Hartburn, Norton South and Ingleby Barwick West, but was the third priority for Stainsby Hill, and was ranked slightly higher, at fifth, by those who said that they had read the magazine. When viewed by Local Area Partnership Board they all ranked it as the fifth key priority.
What do we know about this issue?
Criminal damage is closely linked to anti social behaviour in particular to vandalism.
Our yearly Partnership Strategic Assessment tells us that:
- Over the last four years criminal damage has been reducing and dropped by a nearly 18% since the last strategic period and now represents 22% of total crime against 25% the previous strategic year.
- Victims of criminal damage are evenly spread across gender and age.
- Residents in THL properties are over represented for offences of criminal damage; 45% of all criminal damage offences to dwellings occurred in THL properties overall, with this rising to more than 60% in four wards of the Borough.
- 273 businesses or residential properties suffered two or more offences of criminal damage with 76 of them reporting three or more incidents.
- 27 streets were subject to 10 or more incidents during the strategic period.
- Most arrests for young people aged between 10 and 17 were for criminal damage.
- Overall criminal damage is the most common offence type committed by males.
- Criminal damage offences peak in October/November and March/April. Also at weekends and evenings between 6pm and 1am.
- There has been a reduction in the number of primary deliberate fires recorded by Cleveland Fire Brigade of 35% and 41% for secondary deliberate fires.
What we will do.
We will:
- Identify repeat victims and ensure that they are visited to identify and redress any triggers.
- Investigate all repeat cases of criminal damage to THL properties.
- Maintain our prevention programme in schools to raise awareness of the harm caused by criminal damage and deliberate fire setting.
- Include top streets for criminal damage in foot patrols and, where available, CCTV coverage.
- Develop and implement a plan for peak times and localities for criminal damage to be monitored by the Criminal Damage Think Tank.