Vehicle crime down thanks to initiative by Hertfordshire Police

VEHICLE crime in Three Rivers has been significantly reduced thanks to ongoing initiatives by Hertfordshire Police.

Recent national crime figures show an 19.1 per cent drop in offences from March to October this year, bringing the overall total down from 393 to 318.

This includes 31 less crimes in Maple Cross (62 per cent fewer than last year), six less in Rickmansworth, five fewer in Moor Park and four less in Croxley Green.

Police have been making use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, which targets criminals by reading vehicle number plates and searching a database for information including whether it is has insurance, tax and MOT.

The initiative is part of the county-wide Operation Sentinel, which has proved not only to lower crime rates but is also used to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the roads by highlighting unroadworthy vehicles.

According to police research, drivers without insurance are more likely to have been involved in other crimes.

Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said: "With Operation Sentinel now in full force across the county, we are making effective use of ANPR technology to target offenders and remove unsafe vehicles from the roads on a daily basis, and some fantastic results have already been achieved."

Constable Whiteley said that police will continue using ANPR in the hope of further bolstering efforts to keep residents and road users safe, and making the county's roads a no-go area for criminals.

Hertfordshire Police aims to reduce all crime by four per cent over the next two years and Three Rivers has seen an overall reduction of 12.1 per cent from March to October - equalling 281 less offences and bringing the total down to 2,045.

Across the county, overall recorded crime fell by five per cent and motor vehicle crime fell by 13 per cent.

Nationally, overall crime was reduced by four per cent and motor vehicle crime by 12 per cent.

Constable Whiteley added:"These figures are encouraging and while they reflect the excellent commitment of officers and staff, they are also the result of good joint working with our partners in local authorities across Hertfordshire.

"We shall be working even more closely with them over the coming months to drive down crime further."