REVEALED: Top 10 streets for crime in Chorley

MORE than 700 crimes were reported across the borough of Chorley in a single month, according to new figures.
Crime map showing reports of crime within a 1-mile radius of Chorley town centre.Crime map showing reports of crime within a 1-mile radius of Chorley town centre.
Crime map showing reports of crime within a 1-mile radius of Chorley town centre.

Home Office data has allowed us to map crime rates in Lancashire and today we look at Chorley, where 743 crimes were reported in August (the latest figures available).

The research shows 277 of the incidents happened within a one-mile radius of the town centre, including 40 reports of violent and sexual assaults and 140 instances of anti-social behaviour.

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The area near to High Street was found to be the worst area for crime with nine reports made in the 31-day month.

These included two anti-social behaviour offences, one of criminal damage and arson, one unspecified and five reports of violent and sexual offences. Two of these reports were resolved by police and two are under investigation.

TOP 10 CRIME STREETS

These are the Top 10 streets for crime in a one-mile radius of Chorley for July 2016. Data collected is correct up to Friday, October 14, and was collated by the College of Policing Limited in partnership with Lancashire Police.

Case details not provided for anti-social behaviour crimes.

n 1 - Near High Street - nine crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 2

l Criminal damage and arson x 1

l Other x1

l Violent and sexual offences x 5

n 2 - Near Morrison Street - eight crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 6

l Burglary x 1

l Criminal damage x 1

n 3 - Near Mealhouse Lane - seven crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 2

l Other crimes x 1

l Violent and sexual offences x 4

n 4 - Near Morrisons Supermarket - six crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 2

l Criminal damage and arson x 2

l Other thefts x 2

n 5 - Near Church Street - six crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 4

l Other thefts x 1

l Shoplifting x 1

n 6 - Near Harrington Road - five crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 2

l Criminal damage and arson x 3

n 7 - Near Dole Lane - five crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 3

l Burglary x 1

l Shoplifting x 1

n 8 - Near New Market Street - five crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 1

l Shoplifting x 2

l Violent and sexual offences x 1

n 9 - Near Cheapside - four crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 2

l Criminal damage x 1

l Drugs x 1

n 10 - Near Market Street - four crimes

l Anti-social behaviour x 1

l Criminal damage and arson x 1

l Other x 1

l Violent and sexual offences x 1

And chairman of Chorley Traders Alliance, Malcolm Allen says police cuts and a lack of officer presence could be having an affect.

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“There is an issue with shoplifting in the town,” said Malcolm, who owns Malcolm’s Musicland on Chapel Street.

“We don’t see officers as much as we once did and when they’re visible they’re a deterrent. PCSOs are quite good when they do come around and are very pro-active in their investigations but that doesn’t stop people committing crime.

“Traders in the town are worried and crime is definitely on the rise because there are less police officers around to stop it.”

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “We respond to a range of incidents across the county and crime maps help to highlight some of the work we do.

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“While not exhaustive, these figures recognise the level of enquiries our officers handle on a daily basis.

“The levels of crime seem consistent across the Chorley area month on month, year on year and are the type of incidents you would expect in a town of its size.

“We will continue to work with local partners and the council to make Chorley a safe place to live and work.”

Councillor Bev Murray, who oversees community safety for Chorley Council, said: “Chorley is a very safe place to live, work and visit, indeed a survey of our residents reflects that with 92% saying they feel safe during the day and 71% saying they feel safe at night.

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“However, we continue to work with our partners the police and other organisations in the Community Safety Partnership to reduce crime in the borough, we continue to fund Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), we’ve invested significantly into a new CCTV control room and are upgrading our cameras, and we organise activities with our partners to minimise anti-social behaviour.

“We are also seeking reassurances from the police that they will provide the necessary resources for Chorley going forward, despite their need to look at different ways of working in the light of funding cuts.”