Lawley and Overdale are Telford crime hotspots

More crime was reported in Lawley and Overdale than any other area of Telford & Wrekin in the last year, figures revealed today.

The ward recorded almost 60 per cent more crime than in Ketley and Oakengates, the second highest on the list for reported offences. The third highest was Hadley and Leegomery.

However, the Lawley and Overdale includes both Telford Shopping Centre and the Bridge Retail Park which police today said contributed towards the statistic.

The figures for the Telford & Wrekin borough were obtained by the Shropshire Star following a Freedom of Information request.

Figures show in 2009/10, 1,273 offences were recorded in Lawley and Overdale, with more than 850 being thefts. Ketley and Oakengates had 796 crimes reported, while Hadley and Leegomery had 763.

Inspector Keith Gee, of the Central Telford local policing team which covers Lawley and Overdale, said: "This fits with the large number of people who regularly work and move through the area and the high number of retail units in that area."

Mr Gee said many initiatives were on-going to crackdown on shoplifters.

He added: "The majority of the theft figures relate to retail crime so in terms of fear of crime for the members of the community in this area, this is not reflective of the whole area. These figures are reflective of national trends in retail areas."