Burglaries did not go up at lights out

Sgt David Kettle said contrary to a reader’s letter in last week’s Courier, there has not been a rise, as predicted by many campaigners.

Sgt Kettle, of the Warwick District Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “I have the figures for house burglaries across Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth going back to 2011 which prove this point.”

He said between December 2010 and November 2011 there were reports of 84 house burglaries across the district and between December 2011 and November 2012 there were 79.

It was in December 2012, the county council decided to make budget savings by switching off street lights at midnight or at 1am at the weekends.

Sgt Kettle pointed out that between December 2012 and November 2013, the number of break-ins dropped to 70.

And between December 2013 and November last year, burglaries were down by one, to 69.

Last July county councillor Peter Butlin said violent crime and anti-social behaviour had also declined across Warwickshire as a whole. But there was an increase in the number of serious injuries or deaths in the first 12 months which rose from three to five.

In December 2012, 18-year-old Warwick University student Archie Wellbelove died after being struck by a taxi in Kenilworth Road, Leamington, At his inquest coroner Richard Brittain asked for a review of lighting on that stretch of road after the taxi driver said he didn’t see the student because the road was too dark.