Southampton Crime Rate Continues to Fall

Figures published last week reveal a 12 per cent reduction in crime recorded in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, highlighting the apparent fact that Southampton crime rates have declined over the last two years.

The crime figures were released by The Office for National Statistics and showed that 103,977 offences were reported to the constabulary between July 2012 and June 2013. Chief Constable Andy Marsh said of the 12 per cent reduction:

The figures are a welcome reminder that our efforts to deliver an excellent service to people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are producing results … Initiatives such as Operation Fortress, the campaign to tackle the harm caused by drug-related violence in Southampton, demonstrate what we can achieve by introducing new ways of working.”

Policing data site police.uk shows that Southampton crime rates were below the national average in the year June 2012 to June 2013. However, when compared to the rest of Hampshire, Southampton’s average crime rate of 90.96 towers above the Hampshire force average of 55.46. Portsmouth also peaks above the Hampshire average with a crime rate of 87.6. Interestingly, Winchester, despite also being a student area, sits well below the Hampshire average with a crime rate of 43.57.

As well as Southampton having the highest crime rate in Hampshire, it is also in the upper bound of average crime rate across similar areas – Bristol, Oxford and Lincoln beat Southampton. However, annual figures released in March 2013 showed a 16 per cent reduction; recorded crimes fell from 26,165 to 21,929. Overall crime in Southampton has continued to fall in the last two years from June 2011 to June 2013.

The general perception – particularly among students – that Southampton is notoriously crime-ridden, is not unreasonable, but it is somewhat shaped by sensational, high profile cases such as the recent rape of a man in Southampton Common. Indeed, Southampton’s violence and sexual offence rate is currently above the national average, yet most other types of crime have reduced and are below national average.

The types of crimes students seem to be most concerned about are sexual offences, mugging and burglary. The good news is that over last two years, burglary and robbery rates have declined and are below the national average. Unsurprisingly for a student area, bicycle theft is above the national average, though rates also dropped in the last year.

Theft from the person (mugging) rose in the year June 2011 to June 2012 and has remained relatively stable in the last year; however rates are still lower than the national average. Drug related crime has also risen in the last two years and is largely in line with the national average, though Operation Fortress continues to seek a crackdown on drug related crime. Anti-social behaviour, despite dropping in the last year, is also in line with the national average.

However, regarding the nature of crime statistics, it should be acknowledged that many crimes go unreported because victims deem reporting the incident as too much hassle or embarrassment or regard the offence as not extreme enough. Some crimes are also downgraded by the police – a crime will only become a statistic when a charge is made. This can explain why there are usually discrepancies between recorded statistical crime rates and crime rates conveyed in crime surveys.

The Hampshire Constabulary, despite facing governmental policing cuts, have plans to improve the areas of Response and Patrol, Preventions and Neighbourhoods, Investigation and Intelligence and Coordination. Simon Hayes, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s elected Police and Crime Commissioner, as a former criminologist, aims to prevent re-offending, specifically crimes linked to alcohol and drug abuse.