People power, pro-active policing and partnerships are helping to drive down crime figures across the district. That's the view of Bradford Central Chief Superintendent David Richardson, who says the latest Home Office statistics are a reflection of the efforts made to combat crime. Joanne Earp and Simon Ashberry report.

WEST YORKSHIRE Police is one of only two metropolitan forces in England and Wales to show a drop in recorded crime in the 12 months to September 1999.

And the district's five policing divisions of Bradford Central, Toller Lane, Keighley, Odsal and Eccleshill have all played their part.

Ch Supt David Richardson said: "All the divisions are working towards the same goal-- reducing crime and reducing the number of victims."

He believes the success is based largely on pro-active policing. That is the targeting of persistent and prolific offenders who account for the majority of crime.

"For the last four of five years there has been a real emphasis on pro-active policing. Now the crime rate is falling and we are starting to reap the rewards.

"Offenders are receiving attention from specialist teams of officers, being arrested, convicted and locked up.

"And if they are given a custodial sentence, they aren't around to commit crime.

"We used to spread our resources thinly across all areas. Now we're listening to the concerns of he public and targeting resources accordingly."

Policing priorities include domestic burglaries, violent crime, racially-motivated incidents and, for the first time, a reduction in car-related crime is one of this year's targets.

Violent crime continues to be a major concern among members of the public. One of the hot spotsis Bradford city centre. The number of violent incidents in the city increased by 16 per cent between October 1998 and October 1999, from 76 to 97.

Police have responded by setting up dedicated late-night patrols every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, covering problem areas like the West End and Cheapside.

The patrols have made an instant impact, with the visible police presence and threat of arrest proving a deterrent to drunken rowdies.

As part of the initiative, police chiefs have also met with licensees to discuss ways of making the city centre safer.

Chief Supt Richardson said: "We have excellent links with licensees and have introduced the late-night patrols to work alongside successful initiatives such as the door-staff registration and training scheme.

"The good practice in Bradford Central division is now being looked at by other divisions.

"This is just one example of the work we are doing in targeting particular concerns voiced by members of the public. These kind of initiatives are happening across all five divisions."

But the police admit they cannot take all the credit for a falling crime rate which has seen the number of burglaries in Bradford drop by 40 per cent since 1993 and car crime decrease by four per cent in the last nine months.

Members of the public are coming forward with information and the district's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership - launched in April last year- is starting to pay dividends.

Ch Supt Richardson said: "You can have all the technological advances in crime fighting you like, but the information we receive from the public is vital.

"A lot of the time members of the public know exactly who these criminals are. Officers have continued to build strong links with communities and people are starting to come forward with information.

"The more information we receive the more active we can be in targeting offenders and the more successful we can become in bringing them to justice."

With tougher crime targets set each year, the force is looking to partnership organisations to help keep up the good work.

Chief Supt Richardson said: "The targets are coming down and the question has to be Can we keep meeting them?"

Show the same spirit that brave Tommy did

A pensioner praised for foiling a burglar has urged more people to show community spirit in fighting crime.

Tommy Gregory, 67, of Smith Avenue, Odsal, Bradford, decided to alert the police after he became suspicious about a man putting property into a waiting taxi.

And it is actions like his - which earned him a £150 reward last week when 29-year-old Paul Webster admitted burglary at Bradford Crown Court - which are thought to be partly responsible for the downturn in crime.

Mr Gregory said he did not regard himself as brave but hoped other people would act in similar ways.

"I am no hero and I'm not bothered about the money. I am an old-age pensioner and when I saw him I thought there was something going on," he said.

"I wouldn't like anyone burgling my house while people were watching. If you never do anything then you will never combat things like this.

"I'm a great believer in Neighbourhood Watch. There's a lot of people of the estate who turn a blind eye to what's going on. Unless we all act together we will never cure anything. I'm also a member of Odsal Community Centre and I believe in people co-operating together and acting for the benefit of everyone."

Webster, also of Smith Avenue, was given two years' probation after admitting two burglaries.

Mr Gregory held on to the locked passenger door as the taxi drove away. He and two other neighbours, Paul Craven and Paul Hollingworth, who chased and helped to catch Webster, were all rewarded for their efforts.

As a result of their actions, £2,300 of property, including televisions, hi-fi equipment and a video recorder were recovered.

In the latest round of Home Office figures West Yorkshire and Northumbria were the only two metropolitan forces to record a drop in crime.

In West Yorkshire between October 1998 and September 1999 there were a total of 268,767 offences recorded -a 0.7 per cent reduction on the previous 12 months.

The total breaks down into:

16,941 offences of violence against a person, 1,834 sexual offences, 3,139 robberies, 65,832 burglaries, 113,744 offences of theft and handling, 11,621 frauds and forgeries, 46,961 offences of criminal damage, 6,046 drug offences and 83,490 vehicle-related crimes.

West Midlands and Greater Manchester are similar sized forces. Crime in West Midlands increased 16 per cent from 267,432 to 304,280. In Greater Manchester it increased by 0.2 per cent from 334,448 to 365,218.

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