Deputy Chief Constable Solves local crime mystery

A week ago we published the above post and asked why a violent crime had not been recorded in the January 2012 crime figures.

Today we received this answer from Deputy Chief Constable Paul Scarrott

“I can confirm that a violent incident did occur at that time in St Ann’s involving a 16 year old male who had received stab wounds. Officers initially managed a number of crime scenes and as you mentioned, the forensic teams examined each to gather as much evidence as possible to investigate the incident.

“”When the exact origin of the crime was established the incident was given a crime reference number and the coordinates of the location were sent to police.uk in February 2012. The location was recorded as an ‘on road’ offence so the exact location may not be showing on the website.

“To protect the privacy rights the following information may assist you. Our priority has been to ensure that the privacy of the individual is protected and we work closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure that all necessary safeguards are in place. For example:

“Dots are never placed over specific dwellings. Where possible we have included key locations such as railway stations, to map incidents which have occurred on or around that location and we will continue to work with the public and Police Forces to develop this further.

“Streets with fewer than 8 postal addresses have been excluded

“Incidents are grouped into eleven separate categories to ensure that most sensitive crimes are not identifiable

“On this occasion the incident was grouped with another near to the junction with Northampton Street and BlueBell Hill Road. To assist, I have provided a walk through guide to take you to the crime incident on police.uk.

1. Open police.uk

2. Select ‘Crime and Outcomes in this area’

3. Select January 2012

4. Select Violent Crime

5. Zoom in on the map

6. You will see an orange circle with the number 2 in the centre on Blue Bell Hill Road near to the junction with Northampton Street. This indicates that two similar incidents occurred near to that location, one of which relates to the incident you refer to in your correspondence.

“I appreciate you taking the time to bring this matter to our attention and I hope that this explanation satisfies your concerns regarding the disclosure of crime statistics.

“The local Beat Manager for your area is PC 873 Paul Deane. He can be contacted at St Ann’s Police station on 101 Ext 811 6766.”

Yours sincerely

Paul Scarrott