Crime in Maitland has declined significantly, according to the latest Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report.
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The quarterly report released yesterday showed a number of serious crimes in Maitland were down considerably.
The report showed a large decrease in the number of break and enters to dwellings (down by 29.5 per cent), break and enter non-dwelling (43 per cent), motor vehicle theft (25 per cent) and malicious damage to property (20 per cent).
In Cessnock, there was also a decrease in break and enters of non-dwelling (38 per cent) and malicious damage to property (17 per cent).
But it wasn’t all good news for Cessnock, with the number of break and enters into non-dwellings and motor vehicle thefts twice the state average.
Central Hunter crime manager Detective Inspector John Zdrilic said the statistics were in line with what he has seen in the area.
“Certainly in relation to stealing offences when I arrived here two years ago break and enter dwelling and non-dwelling were through the roof,” he said.
“One thing I can say is we paid a lot of attention to those categories and focused on the criminal not the crime.
“We focused on those individuals we believe are responsible for committing those sorts of crimes and we’ve seen results from that.
“The other thing that has helped us is the advances in forensics, we have a very strong forensic team here who do a fantastic job and due to their skills, ability and in a lot of cases going that extra yard has assisted in our clear ups.”
Inspector Zdrilic said engagement with and support from the community had also assisted police.
“The vision of the NSW Police Force is for a safe and secure NSW, my vision is for a safe and secure Central Hunter,” he said.
“Integral to good police work is strong liaising with the community and I’m encouraged by the way residents co-operate with police.”
Bureau director Dr Don Weatherburn said Central Hunter local area command numbers mirrored those across the state.
“I’m sure excellent policing plays a part in it but, at the same time, these decreases are not only prevalent in the Hunter, but also prevalent across the state as a whole,” he said. “Every state and territory has had a big decline in property crime in the past 10 years.
