New figures reveal the streets in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge where crime is at its highest.
The latest publicly-available data on the Police.uk website shows the latest statistics up to October 2017.
Across Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge, there were 200 crimes reported in October, which represents a rise of 21.9% on the amount of crimes during September.
April was the busiest month with the most crimes committed in Burnham and Highbridge during 2017, when there were 210 reported offences.
The 200 reports of crime in the two towns shows a 57.5 per cent rise over October 2016, with burglary almost increasing by four times and criminal damage almost three-fold. Thefts have fallen by 57.4 per cent, and ‘theft from persons’ and robbery have remained the same, notes the data.
Avon and Somerset Police note that the crime data does not give a full picture for the crime story of a community. Certain areas of towns appear to be more affected by crime, but for the simple reason that crimes connected to alcohol consumption or shoplifting tend to be reported in town centres near stores.
The streets with the most recorded crime levels are:
Pier Street, Burnham saw 14 crimes reported in the area, where there were 10 cases of shoplifting – but it should be noted this includes the large B&M store. Alongside this, there were two reports of criminal damage and one case each of anti-social behaviour and public order.
Church Street, Highbridge saw 8 crimes reported in this area, with 3 cases each of public order and violence / sexual offences. Alongside this, there were two reports of anti-social behaviour.
Burnham High Street saw 6 crimes reported in this area, with 3 cases each of anti-social behaviour. Alongside this, there were two reports of shoplifting and a single offence of public order.
Burnham Road saw 6 crimes reported in this area, with 2 cases each of anti-social behaviour and public order. Alongside this, there was a single report of criminal damage and violence / sexual offence.
Sandy Close, Highbridge saw 5 crimes reported in this area, with 2 cases each of violence and sexual offences and bicycle theft. Alongside this, there was a single report of burglary.
West Avenue, Highbridge saw 5 crimes reported in this area, with 2 cases each of violence / sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. Alongside this, there was a single report of violence and sexual offence.
Cassis Close saw 5 crimes reported in this area, with 3 cases of drug offences. Alongside this, there were single reports of vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour.
Technical Street, Burnham saw 4 crimes reported in this area, with 2 cases of shoplifting. Alongside this, there were single reports of public order and of violence / sexual offence.
The categories that the police statistics use can be misleading and ‘violence / sexual offences’ can refer to anything from low level abuse to grievous bodily harm, when in fact many reports of this nature are about minor incidents.
