Crime rate near Arundel is rising

Police figures show the number of reported crimes increased by 184 to 824, with house burglaries doubling from 18 in the same period 12 months ago, to 36.

The statistics will be reported to the Joint Downland Area Committee, made up of county, Arun, town and parish councils, meeting at the White Hart Hotel, Chichester Road, Arundel, at 7pm.

All but two of the 15 categories of offences showed increases – only ‘other drug offences’, fell, with none recorded, against one in 2013-14, and drug trafficking, unchanged on five.

Other crimes showing a sizeable increase include violence against the person, up 53 to 189, vehicle theft, up 18 to 92, non-domestic burglaries, up 37 to 99, possession of cannabis, up seven to 22 and robbery, up four to six.

The report also gives a breakdown place by place. Arundel was one of only three not to suffer more crime, with a small drop of five offences to 105. There have been 26 crimes reported in Slindon, one fewer than in the previous year, and the small Downland village of Madehurst, with two offences logged, no change on 2013-14.

Barnham and Walberton, on the other hand, saw significant increases, with Walberton’s total up 25 to 65, mainly as a result of rises in violence against the person cases, up nine to 15, and ‘other theft/handling’ offences, up 12 to 28. Yapton’s tally was up 22 to 100, with rises in car thefts and house burglaries, Barnham crimes were up by 26 to 69 and Lyminster’s were up from 24 to 39.