Concern as crime up by 14% in Powys

Members of Powys County Council's police scrutiny committee were told there has been a 13.8 per cent increase in crime for Powys this year, compared to an increase of 8.9 per cent for the Dyfed-Powys force as a whole.

Non-dwelling burglaries such as shed break-ins in the region has jumped by more than a third, while reports of anti-social behaviour has increased by 6.7 per cent in the past year.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of reports of thefts from sheds and derelict buildings in Powys, with one of the latest seeing thieves stealing an engine worth £9,000 from a shed in Forden. The theft happened sometime between November 29 and 30, and now police are on the lookout to find the perpetrator.

Welshpool councillor Estelle Bleivas said although the rise was "frightening", she believes the figure would be much higher but many victims are still not reporting crimes.

She said: "The figures are extremely worrying but I'm afraid that figure is only the number of reported crimes; it would be much higher but many people don't report crimes.

"In Welshpool the situation with our police station doesn't help. If the front counter was still open people would be more willing to report crime."

The front counter at the town's police station in Severn Road closed about four years ago, although officers do speak to residents if they are working at the base.

Councillor Bleivas raised concerns about the hike in anti-social behaviour, particularly at a time when Welshpool Town Council had been calling for a People and Place Order, to restrict drinking in the town.

She said: "It isn't right that we have some people in our society scared to walk down the street alone because of rowdy groups of drinkers, some elderly people simply won't walk through some parts of town because they're afraid. Something has to be done to get anti-social behaviour under control.

"The new police and crime commissioner has been in his new post for more than six months now, what is he going to do?"

Nobody from Dyfed-Powys Police or the police and crime commissioner's office was available to comment.

The rise in recorded crime in Powys comes as the Government's Office for National Statisics revealed crime recorded by West Mercia Police has risen by 13 per cent in the past year.