The CDRP is backing a police plan to distribute a property marking system to residents in burglary ‘hot spots’ and to repeat burglary victims.

SelectaDNA is an advanced forensic crime reduction system which links criminals to crime scenes and provides an unbreakable chain of evidence for police.

The irremovable liquid solution is almost invisible when applied to valuable property such as televisions, MP3 players and bikes and contains a DNA-code linked to the individual residential address.

If stolen items are later recovered they can be linked directly with the crime scene, not only allowing the property to be returned to the owner but also increasing the chance of conviction.

As well as the solution itself, residents in the designated areas will also be given window stickers and signs to display to warn potential thieves that their homes are secured with SelectaDNA.

Additionally, special ‘Thieves Beware’ street signs will be displayed in areas where the scheme has been implemented,
said Inspector Andy Parkman.

He added: “These will be a visible deterrent to criminals and go a long way towards making the District less attractive to burglars”.

The conference also heard presentations from the CDRP, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, the Essex Probation
Service and Rochford District Council Community Safety Team.

Rochford’s low crime rate is a contributory factor in the District’s appeal and recent figures show that offences overall continue to fall.

Crime statistics published by the Home Office reveal a fall of four per cent in seven key offences and British Crime Survey (BCS) comparator offences in 2008/2009 compared with the previous 12 months.

Violence offences were down 16 per cent, theft of motor vehicles 14 per cent, and thefts from motor vehicles 20 per cent.

Dwelling burglaries however showed a rise of 43 per cent from 119 to 170. This equates to five burglaries for every 1,000 households in the District over a year.

The National Crime Statistics report combines police recorded crime and the results of the BCS which measures the amount of offences by asking people about crimes they have experienced in the last year. The BCS includes crimes not reported to the police and is an important alternative to police records.

Further encouraging news came from a third research source, IQuanta, which confirmed that Rochford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) had again outperformed its targets in relation to crime reduction.

The CDRP achieved a reduction of 8.9 per cent against a target of 5 per cent in all crime, and since April 2004 Rochford has reduced its BCS Crime by 32.9 per cent against a crime target to March 2008 of 13.5 per cent. This – in terms of per cent – is the biggest decrease across the whole of the Eastern Region.

Each year the CDRP is legally obliged under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to undertake a Strategic Assessment and Annual Partnership Plan.

The aim of the Strategic Assessment is to identify current patterns, trends, future gaps and risks that impact upon Rochford District and the communities it serves, linked to crime, Anti-Social Behaviour, substance misuse, fear of crime and behaviour adversely affecting the environment.

The Strategic Assessment for 2009/2010 (year two) has recently been completed and the actions within the Partnership Plan reviewed and amended.

The Partnerships priorities for 2009/2010 are:

• Reduce domestic burglary by five per cent
• Reduce Anti-Social Behaviour by five per cent
• Improve public engagement and increase public reassurance
• Reduce the number of repeat victims of domestic violence by five per cent
• Increase reporting rates of domestic abuse by five per cent
• Reduce alcohol and substance related disorder by five per cent.

The Partnership comprises Essex Police, Rochford District Council, Essex Police Authority, Essex Fire and Rescue, NHS South East Essex, Essex Probation Service and Essex County Council.

The Partnership plays an integral part in creating a safe environment for everyone living, working or visiting the District. It supports and promotes measures to bring down crime. It also works to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.

Partnership Chairman Dan Carlin said: “We have made a significant contribution to keeping Rochford District among the safest places in Essex”.

Rochford is one of the safest places in Essex with only 34.1 crimes per thousand population compared to
another Essex authority which had 109.6. Figures are supplied by Iquanta for 2008/09.

Mr Carlin added: “Our local knowledge has meant we have been able to quickly identify issues of concern to residents and bring forward lasting solutions to deal with them.

“But we need the co-operation of people to help us make further progress and, backed by a readily recognisable identity, we aim to take our message to all quarters of the community.”