CRIME in Essex is increasing, while the number of crimes being solved is falling.

New figures also suggest victims of crime are less satisfied with the service they are getting from Essex Police.

Mark Smith, chairman of the Essex Police Federation, has blamed the apparently worsening situation on cuts to policing.

He said: “It is quite clear what we are being told by politicians is not true.

“They say crime is down, but it is not. It is on the up and we aren’t even recording new crimes, such as cyber crime and grooming.

“We have had cuts of £72.5million and been told in the next five years we are going to have to save another £80million.

“Essex will probably lose 200 officers this year, so will have gone from 3,600 to 3,000. In five years, there will only be about 2,000 if all the cuts go ahead.”

Mr Smith said the rise in violent crime was a particular concern.

A report from the office of Essex’s Police and Crime Commissioner shows in 2014:

  • 99,419 crimes were recorded, about 200 more than the previous year
  • Almost 9,000 people were victims more than once during the year
  • Just 27.63 per cent of reported crimes resulted in someone being charged with an offence
  • Reported domestic abuse cases increased from 9,222 in 2013 to 10,825 in 2014 and only 41 per cent of them were solved
  • Officers only managed to answer emergency calls within 15 minutes (20 in rural areas) 84.7 per cent of the time. The target is 90 per cent and the 2014 figures were 6.4 per cent worse than the previous year.
  • 999 operators answered just 85.8 per cent of emergency calls within ten seconds – the target is 90 per cent and again, the performance was significantly worse than in 2013
  • There was a 35 per cent increase in prosecutions for dealing Class A drugs.
  • Reported domestic burglaries reduced by 11.6 per cent ! More police officers and PCSOs took more time off sick – an average of 12 days days a year for officers and 16 for PCSOs
  • The number of fatal road accidents crashes slightly reduced, but the force recorded significantly more serious injury incidents and more cyclists and pedestrians were hurt.