I was surprised to learn that all three major parties a couple of days ago, launched their campaigns for the Local Government Elections with comments about law and order.
My first reaction was that the party leaders were aiming their comments at an urban rather than a rural audience. I have only done a limited amount of canvassing up to now, but the issue of crime has not loomed large among the concerns of those to whom I have spoken. Moreover, I have been impressed at the Parish Council meetings that I have attended by the relatively low levels of crime reported when members of the police have been in attendance.
However over the past two weeks both Colin and I, or at least our families, have been the victims of crime! A member of Colin’s family had a wallet stolen when being distracted by a thief’s accomplice in a shop in Sudbury. (This is apparently a growing phenomenon in the town so be warned! Don’t get distracted by a stranger when approaching the till). Then on Tuesday, while Nick and I were trying out a hostelry in Lavenham some kind soul took a hammer to one of the windows of our car. Nothing was stolen and the damage was relatively minor but nonetheless it was unexpected, irritating and unsettling.
Perhaps I have been too complacent about this issue. It was tempting not to bother to report the damage to the car since we will not be claiming on our insurance policy. I wonder how many other people feel like this and how much petty crime therefore goes unreported? This would go some way to explaining the low levels of crime that are actually recorded by the police.
At the Great Waldingfield Annual Parish Meeting last week we met the first of three Community Support Officers who will be responsible for patrolling an area that includes Acton, Chilton, Great and Little Waldingfield. Although these people will be rather thinly spread, and their number has been cut back by central Government before they even started recruitment, their arrival on the scene must be welcomed.
My first reaction was that the party leaders were aiming their comments at an urban rather than a rural audience. I have only done a limited amount of canvassing up to now, but the issue of crime has not loomed large among the concerns of those to whom I have spoken. Moreover, I have been impressed at the Parish Council meetings that I have attended by the relatively low levels of crime reported when members of the police have been in attendance.
However over the past two weeks both Colin and I, or at least our families, have been the victims of crime! A member of Colin’s family had a wallet stolen when being distracted by a thief’s accomplice in a shop in Sudbury. (This is apparently a growing phenomenon in the town so be warned! Don’t get distracted by a stranger when approaching the till). Then on Tuesday, while Nick and I were trying out a hostelry in Lavenham some kind soul took a hammer to one of the windows of our car. Nothing was stolen and the damage was relatively minor but nonetheless it was unexpected, irritating and unsettling.
Perhaps I have been too complacent about this issue. It was tempting not to bother to report the damage to the car since we will not be claiming on our insurance policy. I wonder how many other people feel like this and how much petty crime therefore goes unreported? This would go some way to explaining the low levels of crime that are actually recorded by the police.
At the Great Waldingfield Annual Parish Meeting last week we met the first of three Community Support Officers who will be responsible for patrolling an area that includes Acton, Chilton, Great and Little Waldingfield. Although these people will be rather thinly spread, and their number has been cut back by central Government before they even started recruitment, their arrival on the scene must be welcomed.
