Drugs top the crime list

HEROIN IS more of a problem in the Bradford district than in neighbouring areas - and there is no sign of its influence waning.

A study of drug and alcohol abuse in Bradford, by the Leeds Addiction Unit, says "heroin is by far the biggest problem drug".

The rise in heroin incidents has been dramatic - from nearly 300 in 1992-3 to nearly 1,400 in 1996-7, a rise of more than 300 per cent. Of those seeking help for their heroin addiction, 96 per cent use the drug every day and 35 per cent are injecting.

The most common profile is a man aged between 18 and 24, with about a quarter of users being women.

And it is estimated that five out of every 1,000 15-year-old boys in Bradford are "problematic drug users".

The audit reveals that about one in seven criminal offences has a Drugs link.

The audit says: "It is clear...that tackling drugs is a wider issue than law enforcement, and requires co-ordinated action by a range of agencies and local communities, including enforcement, treatment, prevention and education."

Superintendent David Richardson, of Bradford Central police, pledged to continue fighting the war on drugs.

He said: "Arrests of drug dealers are up. We are catching these people and will continue in our fight against this menace."

Burglary

The chance of being burgled in Bradford is falling.

Burglary is high on the police's priority crimes and they are winning the battle through initiatives and partnership schemes set up in the five police divisions.

There were 16,000 recorded burglaries in the year to April 1996 but only about 10,000 to March last year.

Sixteen per cent of all recorded crime in the district is burglaries, compared to 15 per cent in West Yorkshire and 11 per cent in England and Wales.

The hot-spots for burglaries in the district are council estates along with some parts of inner Bradford, Keighley and Shipley.

But police have been successful in tackling the problem and their repeat victimisation schemes and crime prevention advice have proved important factors in that success.

Violent Crime

Murder, rape, armed robberies - these are the crimes that grab the headlines.

And if you are young, a single parent, unemployed, live in rented accommodation and go out in the evening you have more chance of becoming a victim, says the British Crime Survey.

But incidents of violent crime dropped from more than 3,400 in April 1996 to about 3,000 in July 1997. The trend then changed and in March 1998 there were just under 3,200.

Racially Motivated Incidents

In line with the rest of the country, the number of reported racially motivated incidents has increased. This may reflect an increase in incidents or an increased willingness of victims to report them.

In Bradford, the police have made the improvement of reporting mechanisms for racial incidents a priority. Reporting centres have been set up by the Race Equality Council and Bradford Action Against Racial Harassment.

The breakdown of incidents shows that abuse accounts for 37 per cent, violence 28 per cent, damage eight per cent, harassment 11 per cent, graffiti six per cent and ten per cent others.

An analysis of victims shows that the majority, 52 per cent, are white and the suspects are predominantly Asian (50 per cent) or white (37 per cent).

Prostitution

Drugs again play a major role. Recent research in January last year found 68 per cent of prostitutes were regular drug users, most of them using heroin.

Figures provided by Bradford's Streets and Lanes Project highlight the growing concern of under-age girls being sexually exploited.

Truancy

Police research has highlighted that there is a link between truancy and young offending. The majority of schools have unauthorised absence rates of two per cent, with a handful having significantly higher rates.

Domestic Violence

The number of domestic incidents in Bradford has risen from about 4,400 to 5,500.

The audit says: "This may reflect increased reporting of domestic violence due to greater confidence that the incident may be dealt with effectively."

Reporting Rates

"The crimes which are most likely to be reported are those which the victim thinks are very serious and likely to be treated as such by the police," says the audit.

Burglary is at the top of crimes most likely to be reported (98%), followed by robbery (89%), theft of car (86%) and arson (79%).

The least likely crimes to be reported are abusive behaviour (25%) sexual harassment (21%) and racial harassment (18%).

The main reason why people do not report a crime is because they believe there is no point and the police won't take any action (52%).

Three per cent don't report because of fear or dislike of police.

We live in fear .. but few are actual victims

Getting burgled, having their car vandalised or stolen and being mugged are the crimes people in the Bradford district are most worried about.

Nearly 80 per cent of those interviewed were worried about getting burgled although little over 20 per cent have actually been burgled.

Whether it is sexual harassment, a racial attack, an assault or burglary - the fear of it taking place is far greater than the reality of it happening.

Women are generally more worried than men about all types of crime and a third of all women, mainly under 25 years old, were worried about being sexually assaulted.

Young people are more worried about becoming a victim of a street crime, like mugging.

But it is drugs which is seen as the greatest problem facing Bradford by people of all ages and ethnic groups.

Drug-related crime is perceived to be a big problem by 65 per cent of people in Bradford, but by less than 23 per cent in Bingley and Ilkley.

In the most deprived areas of the district, 75 per cent feel that drug related crime is a big problem in their area.

People's priority crimes to be tackled mirror the police's - household burglary and drugs. And the measures they would like to see which they believe would reduce crime in their areas include more police foot patrols, targeting of known criminals and more car patrols.

The business community criticised the police, saying that crime against businesses is not taken as seriously as crime experienced by individuals.

Estates succeed in cutting crime

Partnership approaches to fighting crime have already had some successes in the Bradford district - and the schemes are still working.

Three estates in the Odsal police division - Woodside, Delph Hill and Buttershaw - saw burglary slashed by 82 per cent following a partnership between the police, the Royds Community Association and Bradford Council.

As part of the regeneration on the three estates, new high security windows, doors and alarms were fitted to houses and the burglary rate plummeted.

The Doorstaff Registration Scheme - a partnership between West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Inner City Licensees' Association - was set up in 1992. The aim was to make the city a safer place to visit by cutting down on offences against doorstaff and ensuring that only high calibre staff are employed.

And the Newlands Single Regeneration Budget has developed a number of community safety initiatives, such as a scheme for young offenders and a youth sports development project.

So what happens now?

The audit will now help shape the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy for the Bradford district and a number of issues have arisen which will be taken into account.

They include:

l Targeting hot-spots where crime levels are at the highest with community safety activities;

l Over the past two years virtually all crime has dropped in the Bradford district, which contrasts from the public's perception. Fighting the fear of crime as well as reducing crime is seen as a priority;

l Under-reporting of crime remains an issue, especially racial attacks and domestic disputes;

l Improving the sharing of information about offenders, in an effort to stop them re-offending;

l Drug use and drug-related crime, especially heroin, has emerged as a major issue in almost every aspect of the audit. The audit states that tackling drugs is a wider issue than law enforcement and requires action from a range of agencies.

l A visible police presence makes people feel safer, although is not necessarily the most effective way of fighting crime;

l Concerns that young people have a lack of trust in the police, especially those from ethnic minorities.

Drugs still the number one enemy

T&A Opinion

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