BURGLARY levels have fallen across Doncaster for the third month in a row, say police.
Senior officers are linking the fall with a major operation to deal with the issue.
The operation, dubbed A/Optimal, uses new tactics to predict crimes, and then police provide extra patrols in the predicted crime areas and work to protect properties that may be vulnerable to burglary.
Superintendent Eddie Murphy said: “This initiative is about using crime mapping information to predict where offences may occur and then teaching residents in these areas to target harden their homes and make them more secure.
“Since mid-December we have visited 11,242 homes and spoken to 40 per cent of these people to give them crime prevention advice. If people are not at home, we leave them information about safeguarding their property.
“The statistics from last week show a 33 per cent reduction in burglary over that week compared to the same week in 2012. This means we are helping reduce victim-based crimes by 15.4 per cent resulting is 3,000 fewer victims of crime.
“This operation is also about maintaining a police presence in key areas, to give thieves a hard time and to let them know we are watching them.”
Commissioner Wright joined Chief Superintendent Richard Tweed and Chief Constable David Crompton earlier this week to go out on patrol and see this operation in action.
Officers patrolling Hexthorpe on Tuesday evening noticed a car with an out of date tax disc. The owner of the car was located and was dealt with for not having road tax and not being insured. Within 30 minutes, the car was seized and taken off the road.
Commissioner Wright said: “Both before and since I came into office the public have consistently raised burglary as a priority for the police and partners to tackle.
“I was delighted to see first hand the way South Yorkshire Police have taken this on board and are delivering impressive reductions in this type of serious crime. The officers I joined out on patrol were all very committed to this burglary initiative and the members of the public I met on the day were all very impressed by the service they have received.”
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