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12/03/2004 LOCAL CRIME INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
	A new website that provides local crime data and crime prevention advice was launched this week by the Home Office. The crime statistics site - which will be accessed via the Home Office website www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime - allows users in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland to search by postcode and analyse local crime figures and compare them to the national average. Users can also examine findings from the British Crime Survey (BCS), the most authoritative and reliable indicator of crime trends, and look at police recorded crime statistics for each region and all of England and Wales. The website also includes advice and information about crime prevention and links to local crime reduction partnerships and police forces. The launch of the website is a key element of Home Office work to make crime statistics more transparent and more accessible. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, said: "Since becoming Home Secretary I have been personally committed to giving people more meaningful and useful information about crime in their area. That is why I introduced quarterly updates of crime statistics and why we publish the British Crime Survey together with police recorded crime. As a result of the National Crime Recording Standard, when a victim of crime reports it to the police, that crime will be recorded. Previously that might not have happened. "The new website being launched today marks the next stage in this process. It will give every computer user, whether at home or in the library, instant access to crime data in their area and valuable crime prevention advice. "Providing local people with the real picture of crime in their area helps them engage with their local police force, makes the force more accountable and ensures that the police tackle the crimes that matter most in their neighbourhoods. In addition, through this website, they will be able to hear about, and contribute, to local work to keep crime down. "Crime overall is stable and volume crimes such as burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, are continuing to fall significantly. But fear of crime is still high, despite the fact that your chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest level for more than twenty years. "It is important to put the increases in police recording of violent crime into context. Better police crime recording policies mean that local forces now have a clearer picture of crime in their area and that anti-social behaviour and low level thuggery, which are included in the violent crime figures, are more accurately recorded. We are also encouraging victims to report crimes, especially violent and sexual offences, and we would expect to see a rise in these figures. "As I announced last week, we now have the highest number ever of police officers patrolling our streets - 138,155, supported by 3,243 community support officers. As a result, people are starting to feel safer." Stephen Brookes, Home Office director at the Government Office for the East Midlands, said: "I am delighted that this information is now available to everyone. We all have a role in helping to reduce crime - it cannot just be left to the police although they have the lead role. As individuals we can follow crime prevention advice report suspicious activity and join in local initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch. The web site will enable people to keep in touch with what is happening locally and to learn about the latest crime prevention advice."	CLICK HERE FOR SILVERSTONE HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

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