ILMINSTER NEWS: Town is still a safe place to live – despite increase in crime figures

PEOPLE have been told that Ilminster is still a safe place to “work, live and play” despite crime figures having gone up in the past year for the area.

PC Andy Stuart spoke at last night’s (Tuesday, April 19, 2016) annual community assembly at Greenfylde First School in Ilminster where he told people that “crime was rising everywhere and would continue to go up.”

He reported there had been rises in shoplifting, sexual assaults, burglary, non-dwelling burglary, theft of motor vehicles and violent assaults.

But it was not all bad news as PC Stuart said there had been decreases in criminal damage, thefts from motor vehicles and incidents of religious and racial hatred.

PC Stuart said there had been 336 crimes committed in the Ilminster, Broadway and Horton area over the past 12 month as opposed to 231 the previous year.

But he said that the figures “reflected” those across the Avon and Somerset area and did not surprise him.

He told the audience that there had been a difference in the way police reported crime which is increasing the figures.

“We have now brought in a new system and so even though nothing more is actually going on it means that just more is being reported as crime,” he said. “The crimes that go on in Ilminster go on in every other town.

“Crime is rising everywhere and to be honest the figures aren’t as high as I had been expecting.

“The rise in the figures is nothing to be concerned about – Ilminster is still a safe place to work, live and play.”

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