By James Rougvie

THE DRAMATIC decrease in the number of offences reported in Tayside this year—notably in housebreaking and car crime—and an increase in police detection rates, is due to a hard core being jailed and kept under surveillance when they are out, together with the use of more sophisticated detection tools.

And according to the area’s Assistant Chief Constable Willie Bald, there has been a traditional return to communities becoming more willing to speak to their local bobby who has returned to the beat.

Figures released last week indicate housebreaking incidents were down 40% in the first quarter of the year, while car crime was down 34%. The overall detection rate went up to more than 50%.

Sceptics have suggested that the encouraging, albeit startling figures might have been down to fewer people bothering to report crime, a new way of compiling statistics to cast a flattering light, or an improvement on an erstwhile poor detection performance.

Each suggestion has been brushed aside by Mr Bald.

“To suggest people don’t bother to report their house being broken into is a flight of fancy. One of the most important things which has happened is that the detection rate in this category has increased dramatically. That is not accidental. It was one of our targets because we know people are concerned about it.

“Because of the increasing sophistication of DNA profiling—everyone arrested has DNA taken and it is put on an ever-widening database—and the fact that because we are detecting what is a relatively small core of hardened housebreakers, we are putting them in jail.”

He added that the community was also more willing to provide their local bobbies with intelligence.

“When they are on bail we watch them, if there is a curfew order we watch them to make sure they do not break it, and when they come out of jail we watch them.”

The bottom line, said Mr Bald, was that with fewer criminals and housebreakers on the streets, fewer offences would be committed.

Because of an increased local police presence, householders were also able to get advice to increase the security of their homes.

Contrary to other suggestions that some crimes were going unrecorded, Mr Bald said the system of compiling crimes had indeed changed—but even more complaints and crimes were being recorded, not fewer.

Car crime is similar. Although Mr Bald concedes that not everyone reports minor damage such as scratches and superficial damage, when it is reported it is acted upon. “We have people on the streets and we have the CCTV van and, just as important, people talk to us on the streets.

He said there was no doubt that the police had vastly improved detection methods, but the wide range of measures had also contributed to the plunge in reported crime.

“We made a conscious decision to target specifically housebreaking and car crime and we are now seeing a reward for that investment although it has taken a long time to work through.”

The blips in the system involved violent crime, where there was a standstill.