MALICIOUS damage continues to be Leeton’s biggest reported criminal offence.
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While new statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show the number of incidents have dropped in the 12 months to March this year, it remains the shire’s most active crime category.
There were 125 reported cases of malicious damage to property, compared to 136 for the same period last year.
Break and enters come a close second for major offences, with 83 incidents to March, 2017 and 80 last year.
Leeton shire’s crime trend is on par with a statewide drop in some major offence categories or remaining stagnant.
In good news for the shire the number of reported domestic violence cases fell from 71 to 55.
However, non-domestic violence related assault increased from 55 to 66.
These figures do not apply to incidents that haven’t been reported to police.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the figures showed hard work from officers across the state, including the Griffith Local Area Command.
“While we’re seeing great results across the board, there is still a lot of work to be done, including building a more efficient structure for the future of policing in NSW,” he said.
“Our commitment is putting the community first and ensuring our police have the structure and support behind them to continue preventing, disrupting and responding to crime.”
One of the categories to see a bigger increase in Leeton shire was stealing from a retail store.
In the 12 months to March last year there were just eight recorded incidents in this category, but for the same time period this year there have been 31 reports of theft from a retail store.
One of the most recent incidents of thefts from a Leeton store occurred just last week.
Police are on the hunt for a female and male couple in their early 30s who allegedly stole a portable speaker from a Leeton electrical store on Thursday. Police are reviewing CCTV footage.