The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Lincolnshire Police say there is no evidence that part-night street lighting has led to a rise in crime – despite reporting a rise in some crimes since its introduction.
This morning, Monday, November 27, the Police announced their initial findings into the effect of Lincolnshire County Council’s cost cutting measures to switch off some street lights between the hours of 12pm and 6am.
Offences including burglaries, robberies, vehicle offences and criminal damage recorded between those times were recorded.
However the number of crimes recorded in the majority of Spalding have not been considered.
Police beat areas that include areas where some lights have remained on throughout the night, including the Spalding Town and Spalding Estates beats, have not been considered.
In the report’s findings on the impacts experienced in South Holland, the report states: “Certain beat codes were subject to very little change whereas others saw both increases and decreased dependent on crime type.
“For street lighting to be contributing factor, changes would be expected to be of a similar magnitude in the same direction.
“This is not evident within the South Holland area and therefore, it is not possible to conclude that these changes are the result of the introduction of ‘part-night’ lighting.”
Overall, in the areas collated in Lincolnshire between January 2017 and May 2017 and 12am and 6pm, burglary was down 2.1 per cent, vehicle crime down 12.6 per cent, theft/robbery down 25 per cent and criminal damage up 52.9 per cent on the same period the previous year.
The combined number of these crimes were 439 in 2017 compared with 402 reported in 2016.
Assistant Chief Constable Shaun West said: “Our findings so far are that there has been a slight increase in these overnight crimes. This is not surprising as we are experiencing more calls than ever before and overall crime in Lincolnshire has increased, as it has nationally. Crime is up by 4 per cent in our county and the national average stands at an 11 per cent rise.
“At present we believe there is no link between the introduction of part-night lighting and levels of crime. We will continue to monitor crime levels and if our analysis highlights any concerns at any time we will speak with the council. We may also look at other types of crime to ensure we are gaining a complete picture.
“I fully understand that when part-night lighting was introduced residents were concerned about their safety. Lincolnshire is an incredibly safe place to live and rest assured we are fully committed to making sure you are safe day and night.”
Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire Police says: “I welcome the Chief Constables’ decision to commission this report and his commitment to a continuous review of that intelligence. It is vital that people both are and feel safe and we will continue our efforts to ensure both.”
Lincolnshire Police say there is no evidence that part-night street lighting has led to a rise in crime – despite reporting crime being up since its introduction.
This morning, Monday, November 27, the Police announced their initial findings into the effect of Lincolnshire County Council’s cost cutting measures to switch off some street lights between the hours of 12pm and 6am.
Offences including burglaries, robberies, vehicle offences and criminal damage recorded between those times were recorded.
However the number of crimes recorded in the majority of Spalding have not been considered.
Police beat areas that include areas where some lights have remained on throughout the night, including the Spalding Town and Spalding Estates beats, have not been considered.
In the report’s findings on the impacts experienced in South Holland, the report states: “Certain beat codes were subject to very little change whereas others saw both increases and decreased dependent on crime type.
“For street lighting to be contributing factor, changes would be expected to be of a similar magnitude in the same direction.
“This is not evident within the South Holland area and therefore, it is not possible to conclude that these changes are the result of the introduction of ‘part-night’ lighting.”
Overall, in the areas collated in Lincolnshire between January 2017 and May 2017 and 12am and 6pm, burglary was down 2.1 per cent, vehicle crime down 12.6 per cent, theft/robbery down 25 per cent and criminal damage up 52.9 per cent on the same period the previous year.
The combined number of these crimes were 439 in 2017 compared with 402 reported in 2016.
Assistant Chief Constable Shaun West said: “Our findings so far are that there has been a slight increase in these overnight crimes. This is not surprising as we are experiencing more calls than ever before and overall crime in Lincolnshire has increased, as it has nationally. Crime is up by 4 per cent in our county and the national average stands at an 11 per cent rise.
“At present we believe there is no link between the introduction of part-night lighting and levels of crime. We will continue to monitor crime levels and if our analysis highlights any concerns at any time we will speak with the council. We may also look at other types of crime to ensure we are gaining a complete picture.
“I fully understand that when part-night lighting was introduced residents were concerned about their safety. Lincolnshire is an incredibly safe place to live and rest assured we are fully committed to making sure you are safe day and night.”
Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire Police says:
“I welcome the Chief Constables’ decision to commission this report and his commitment to a continuous review of that intelligence. It is vital that people both are and feel safe and we will continue our efforts to ensure both.”
