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| Brian holding a crime survey card |
Crime is a much bigger problem in the New
Forest than statistics suggest. Generally, the area is reckoned
to have one of the lowest crime rates in the country.
However,
there is a difference between the official statistics, based
on crime that is actually reported to the police and the
reality. Brian Dash, Parliamentary Spokesman for the New Forest Liberal
Democrats, says he has been quite startled by local people
dropping into the new Lib Dem HQ at Rumbridge Street, Totton
who have told him about criminal activity that has never
been reported to the police.
Brian, who holds a regular surgery at the
HQ on Fridays, 3pm until 4pm, says:
"I have learned from an elderly widow
that she has twice been the victim of an assault whilst out
walking in the town. She was clearly very upset and frightened
by her experiences. However, on both occasions, she failed
to report matters to the police in the mistaken belief that
they could or would do nothing about it".
Brian and his team are encouraging all callers
to report every incident to the police, whether it is vandalism
to property, threatening behaviour or actual assault.
Brian
says: "The police base their activity on intelligence. We
need to make sure they know about criminal activity so that
they can take action. It also impacts upon decisions about
police levels in the area."
Also see: Crime
Survey Hits Homes
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