Criminal damage in Royal Borough falls by nearly 8% over Hallowe'en and bonfire night

Criminal damage fell in the Royal Borough by 7.6% over the two week Hallowe'en and bonfire night period compared to the same time last year, and has fallen consistently since 2007.

Anti-social behaviour decreased by an average of 8% for the same period, with a 7% decrease in Maidenhead and a 9% decrease in Windsor.

Rowdy nuisance and rowdy inconsiderate behaviour - the most frequently-reported examples of anti-social behaviour - dropped by 29% during the Hallowe'en period in 2009 compared to 2008. This was despite a few police neighbourhoods experiencing a slight increase in the number of incidents.

Cllr Colin Rayner, lead member for community safety, said: "These figures are encouraging and clearly show that the no-nonsense approach has paid dividends. We know that anti-social behaviour is a concern for residents and we will deal robustly with the small minority who make residents' lives a misery. We know that we have a great deal of work to do on anti-social behaviour, but we will not stop until the job is finished.

"The council has increased the number of community wardens to 10 and has funded four police community support officers - this, combined with an effective anti-social behaviour team, has had a significant effect in bringing down criminal damage.

"We work closely with the police and other partners and benefit from excellent partnership working - all involved should be congratulated on these results."

Chief Inspector Dave Gilbert, deputy local police area commander, said: "This is a good example of partnership working. We are extremely pleased with these results. They complement the efforts put in by all agencies and highlight what a safe place the Royal Borough is to live."