Those are the words from Griffith Local Area Command Sergeant and crime co-ordinator Cherie Knox following the release of the latest crime statistics from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR). 

The figures cover the 12 months to September this year and show some interesting facts about the shire. 

Sergeant Knox said in terms of stealing and theft, Leeton had the lowest rate of incidents across the Griffith LAC. 

“Leeton is definitely a safe place to live,” she said. “We’re pleased to see the number of thefts and stealing from businesses go down.”

The statistics also recorded the death of Leeton High School teacher Stephanie Scott, with her murder still on the minds of police. 

“That certainly had a lot of police resources from across the LAC and not just Leeton,” Sergeant Knox said. 

“A lot of officers worked very hard on that case and still are.”

The number of domestic violence assaults in the 12-month period was 68, which is one area police will be focusing on in the New Year. 

“Now that there is a domestic violence committee up and running over there (in Leeton), more awareness is being raised,” Sergeant Knox said. 

“We’re definitely working on ways with that committee to help bring those numbers down.”

The number of break and enters increased by seven incidents, with 70 reported to police, compared to 63 for the same time period in 2014. Malicious damage to property dropped from 144 incidents to 127. 

Sergeant Knox said another pleasing area related to alcohol-fuelled incidents. 

“We’ve seen the number of alcohol-related assaults drop and police have been cracking down on licensing and conducting regular patrols of those venues,” she said. 

“Police will be conducting a number of operations in the New Year. One of our goals is to increase our presence and visibility (throughout the LAC). 

“Overall I would say compared to some other towns Leeton is travelling well, but there is always room for improvement.”

The statistics also showed 21 reports of fraud, compared to 15 last year. There were no reports in either time-frame of reports of a robbery with a firearm, but there was one incident in the current period of a robbery with a weapon in Leeton shire.