Decrease in burglary reports

There were 126 less incidents of burglary in the district between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016, compared to the same period in the previous year, a decrease from 1008 to 882.

Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon District Commander, Superintendent Davy Moore said: “In addition to a decrease in burglary, we have also seen incidents of antisocial behaviour fall by 175 incidents, a decrease of 3 percent.

“This is particularly pleasing as both burglary and ASB are incidents that strike at the very heart of the community and affect the quality of life of our local residents.

“While I am pleased to note these decreases I acknowledge that there has been a rise in crime overall with a 1.9 per cent increase. Even one additional crime is one too many and we will continue to work hard to improve these figures over the coming year.

“The last year has been a challenging one for us, in terms of the nature and extent of the change programme that we have undertaken and in light of the impact of austerity upon the public sector. We will now use this statistical information to help inform our operational strategy for the year ahead.”