Least crime of towns in Central Beds? Not any more Leighton...

Latest quarterly statistics show between October and December 2016 the town had fallen just behind Biggleswade, but still remains comfortably ahead of neighbouring Dunstable and Ampthill.

However the figures did show up a 4% rise in crime compared to the same period 12 months ago.

The worst areas were Waterborne Walk (19 incidents), a premises at Lake Street (15), a premises at Market Square (13), another premises at Lake Street (11), Mentmore Road (9) and Vandyke Road (9).

In October 2016 there were 204 recorded crimes, November 203, and December 185 (total 592).

It means there was one crime for every 72.1 people during the three months, narrowly worse than Biggleswade which had a 1:72.3 ratio.

Dunstable fared the worst, with its 957 crimes over the period translating to a crime every 39.2 people. In Houghton Regis the ratio was 1:47.9.

Leighton Buzzard has been in the news recently regarding a gang of anti-social youths causing repeated trouble, and for the October-December figures there were 15.2% more anti-social behaviour incidents than a year ago.

The worst areas were High Street (14 incidents), Waterborne Walk (14), Johnson Drive (11) Vimy Road (11) and Billington Road (5).

However, the town remains clearly better off than its neighbours in terms of recorded incidents.

The 326 incidents meant a ratio of one per 133.4 people.

The next best was Dunstable, 439 incidents (1:85.4), followed by Bigglesade 217 (1:83.7), and Houghton Regis 228 (1:78.9).

Further good news is that during the three months serious acquisitive crime (includes robbery, burglary, theft of / theft from motor vehicles) dropped by 28.3% from the same time last year.

Burglary alone actually fell 46.3%in a period traditionally seeing an increase due to the shortening days and the Christmas period.

But the biggest increase was with shoplifting with a rise from 37 incidents to 84 (127%).

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