Chief inspector sets out plans to tackle rise in crime (From Borehamwood Times)

Chief inspector for Hertsmere Dean Patient sets out plans to tackle rise in crime

4:50pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News By Bruce Thain

Hertsmere’s new Chief Inspector of police has pledged faster response times and greater visibility on the streets to tackle the rise in violent crime and vehicle crime.

Chief Inspector Dean Patient, who started his new role in December, responded to newly released crime statistics showing a rise in crime levels in Borehamwood.

He said: “My main aim will be high quality policing every day, to refocus our assets and have the right response to the right crime.

“I don’t want just a big push on crime then move on. There’s no fancy method of policing, but by refocusing efforts we can make sure crimes get attended to as fast as possible.”

Crime levels in Borehamwood for the period from April 1, 2011 to November 30, 2011, compared with the same period in 2010, show an increase in violent crime and vehicle crime.

Mr Patient said the economic recessions had lead to an increase in thefts from vehicles such of catalytic converters and exhaust pipes, then sold on for their scrap value.

Although overall violent crime had risen, he said much of it was "low level", adding that part of the increase could be explained by more crimes being reported.

He said: “We are certainly not seeing innocent members of the public being attacked in the street at random; most of the violent crime we see is at a low level.

“To lower the crime levels in Hertsmere my efforts will be about having the right resources in the right place to nip those sorts of elements in the bud.

“With Borehamwood and Hertsmere in general, there are no real hotspots of disorder and for us the main thing that will help prevent crime will be a visible element on the street.

“I think that neighbourhood policing is the bedrock of what we do. I want to be able to refocus neighbourhood teams towards crime which will lead to a greater level of deterrent.”

Mr Patient also talked about the issue of street lighting and the effect it was having on crime.

“The decision to turn street lighting off was a political one and was nothing to do with us. I don’t really want to get drawn into a political issue.

“What I can say to people is that we are monitoring the levels of crime and if we do notice an increase of any sort we will address it.

“We see crime figures daily and we will be able to monitor the situation with street lights, but at the moment we haven’t seen any detrimental affect with them being off.”