Theft arrests in Derbyshire more than halved in last five years, new figures show
The number theft arrests in Derbyshire has more than halved in the last five years, new figures show. Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276
Derbyshire Constabulary made 1,254 arrests for theft offences in the 12 months to March, Home Office figures show. This figure equates to a 53 per cent in the last five years – with the number of arrests down from 2,693 in 2017-18.
However the number of theft offences logged fell by only 19 per cent, from 26,769 in 2017-18 to 21,758 last year.
Derbyshire Constabulary made 1,254 arrests for theft offences in the 12 months to March – down from 2,693 in 2017-18
Decreasing arrest figures followed the trend across England and Wales – where the number of arrests fell by 37 per cent to 88,914 over the same period. Charge rates for thefts are very low across the country, with just 4.4 per cent of offences with a recorded outcome resulting in a charge or summons nationally in the year to March. In Derbyshire, 6 per cent led to a charge or summons.
Commenting on the Derbyshire figures, a Derbyshire Constabulary spokesperson said the force was “committed” to preventing and investigating serious acquisitive crime and took matters of theft and burglary “incredibly seriously”. They added: “Earlier this year we introduced Neighbourhood Acquisitive Crime Teams (NACTs) to target offences such as burglary, robbery and theft. “We now also have a dedicated team of intelligence officers allocated to acquisitive crime research (burglary, theft, robbery offences) who support the NACT teams in identifying trends, hotspot areas and key suspects to enable them to take proactive action.
“As well as arrests, we also make use of banning orders from stores which have been targeted and Criminal Behaviour Orders, which are imposed by the court in cases where we see persistent and prolific offenders.