11:35am Monday 14th May 2012
By Andy Carswell
POLICE are to target burglars in Chesham after the number of break-ins bucked the trend in an overall reduction in crime.
Figures show the overall crime rate in the town is down by 19 per cent compared to last year - but offences of burglary, robbery and car crime increased by seven per cent.
Addressing residents at the town's annual meeting on Thursday, Sgt Damian Eatwell said: "What we really need to concentrate on is burglary to peoples' houses. That's our real priority this year."
He added officers would continue to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, despite the number of reported incidents dropping by a quarter.
Sgt Eatwell said this was due in part to a "prominent individual" being handed a banning order preventing them from entering the town centre.
But he admitted: "It's a hard fight against anti-social behaviour and one we're unlikely to ever win."
He added that some of the town's Neighbourhood Action Groups were "not as effective as they could be" and alternative solutions were being considered.
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