Crime has continued to fall in Aberdeen with figures released following the festive strand of Operation Oak showing decreases in vandalism, anti-social behaviour and violence. The campaign which ran throughout Christmas and the New Year period has seen vandalism decrease by almost 50% - from 40 incidents in 2013 to 21 in 2014. In addition the number of incidents of breach of the peace fell by more than 50% (or 53%) - from 114 in 2013 to 61 in 2014. The number of reported thefts including mobile phones fell from 68 in 2013 to 53 in 2014, a 22% reduction. Violent crime remains at a five year low and shoplifting has stayed at the same level. Commonwealth Gold Medallist swimmer Hannah Miley helped launch the operation, which involved additional patrols, at the start of the festive period. Working alongside more than 70 partner agencies the campaign targeted anti-social behaviour and violence during the five-week period. Commander for Aberdeen Division Chief Superintendent Adrian Watson said: The results are extremely positive for Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland. Aberdeen is a safe place to live and I would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of people who came into the city, in the region of 40,000 additional people every day, to celebrate the festive season in a safe and responsible manner. Operation Oak has been highly successful over the years and was an award finalist in the recent National Policing awards in the tackling crime category. The city has also had recognition by becoming the first city in Scotland to be awarded the purple flag accreditation which recognises a safe night-time economy. We are committed to keeping people safe and we continue to work with our partners and thank them for their support. The results year on year have been extremely impressive and to maintain and indeed improve on this is quite an achievement by all involved. It is pleasing to see that the overwhelming majority of folk have enjoyed the Christmas and Hogmanay period sensibly. The city has been that little bit safer and that is also down to the dedicated approach from the partner agencies involved in particular the Street Pastors, Aberdeen City Council and the business community. It is also important to recognise the commitment and professionalism of my own police officers and police staff who work hard all year long to ensure that Aberdeen City Centre is a safe environment for people to live in and to visit. Chief Inspector Aberdeen City Division Graeme Mackie said: The fall in the number of victims of crime is welcomed but there will be no complacency. We will continue to meet our partners regularly and look to learn from experiences to keep Aberdeen one of the safest cities in the country. We greatly appreciate all who have enjoyed the extremely busy and positive festive period.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:59:47 +0000
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