Decreasing crime but no thanks to time wasters..
Plus..Bluestone unit blasted and ‘shocking’ rate of suicide locally condemned!
It may seem hard to believe given recent news but according to the PSNI official statistics, crime in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area is on a decline - with reported crimes down 4.7% on the previous year.
Crimes reported to the police in this area for the time period of March 2021 - February 2022 were 10,781, decreasing by 507 reported crimes in the reoccurring year - broadly speaking the highest decrease in crime across NI with Lisburn and Castlereagh the only other area to show such promise.
A wider analysis of the statistics show that crime types on the increase are largely apportioned to sexual crimes and theft offences, including shoplifting.
SOURCE: PSNI
It would be easy to understand figures such as these could be looked at twice given the news articles of the past number of months. The senseless murders of Natalie McNally and Alesia Nazarova; the conviction of Tanya Lord, from Lurgan, alongside crimes of robbery, theft and drugs seem to somewhat make what should be promising figures pale into insignificance.
All reported crimes to the police are documented and recorded for official PSNI figures reported at the end of each year - these include reports of missing persons. Regrettably not all calls to the PSNI turn out to be what appears on the surface. Such was the case last week when the PSNI responded to a report of a missing person.
A spokesperson for the PSNI commented: “I thought I would share a call we had tonight. Local Policing Team Officers professionally dealt with a Missing Person. Before they located the Missing Person the family reported valid concerns of possible suicidal thoughts.
“We took this report very seriously and as a result put a lot of resources, time and effort into locating them.
“Regrettably a family member of the missing person decided to lie to us when we visited the home address to search for the missing person. The family member prevented attending officers entry to search for the missing person. As a result the family member has been cautioned for obstructing police.
“We take missing people very seriously but cannot fathom why a family member would lie to us and prevent us from locating the loved one they had concerns for.”
“So if you report a Missing loved one and can help us please do. Just don't hinder our search or you could find yourself answering to a Magistrate”.
Headlines
Co Armagh woman blasts failing Bluestone unit and ‘shocking’ rate of suicide locally
Easter tragedy as man in his 40s recovered from water at Carlingford Harbour
Armagh businesses tell of ‘frustration’ and ‘uncertainty’ as rates bills land
Lack of lighting in Lurgan Park a real hindrance to local community
Unions slam ‘total misinformation’ from Council chief as industrial action begins
Woman and pram caught between barriers at Lurgan train crossing
Cancer charity volunteer Victoria ‘honoured’ at winning national award for dedication
Man threatened staff with claw hammer in Newry shop robbery
Popular Diamond Tearoom in Aughnacloy ransacked and till stolen in burglary
Gardening guru Sammy wins Community Champion Award
Lurgan teen accused of blackmailing young girls into sending explicit images before selling them
Van stolen and set alight in one of a spate of linked incidents across Bessbrook and Newry
First Responders: How a father’s grief led to the launch of life saving provision on Lough Neagh
Lurgan residents fear ‘hundreds of extra lorries’ if storage plan goes ahead
First Responders: Our four-part series looking into local first responders – kindly sponsored by Blackwater Private Clinic, Armagh
Here’s a sound clip from our next episode with Community First Responders Armagh & Tyrone (CFRAT)
“There are delays in the ambulance service, not as extreme as they are now”
