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Valley is safest place in county- that’s official


by Faiza Afzaal


CRIME has been slashed in the Ribble Valley and the borough remains the safest place to live in Lancashire. According to the latest local crime


statistics, the Ribble Valley has recorded a massive reduction in crime over the past 12 months. And the findings have been wel­


comed by Clitheroe’s Sgt Mark Porter who said that the reduction shows that everyone’s efforts are pay­ ing off. He revealed that between April


2006 and April this year, ail crime is down by 4.9% which means 100 fewer victims of crime compared to April 2005 and 2006. Violent crime is down by 7.3% (29


less incidents) and criminal damage incidents have fallen by 8.4%.


There has been a dramatic reduc­


tion of 40.7% in racially aggravated crime and figures show a 10.4%o reduction in stolen vehicles (five fewer incidents). However, statistics have shown an


8.3% increase in theft from vehicles (10 more incidents) and a 13.6% increase in burglaries (14 more). In light of this, Sgt Porter is urging


motorists to help themselves by keep­ ing their cars secure and locking their property out of sight. He said: “People are leaving their


cars unlocked with goods like hand­ bags, mobile phones, laptops and other items inside. Valuables on show are attractive targets for opportunist thieves and incidents like these are encouraging offenders to come to the Ribble Valley tor easy pickings. “We are doing everything we can


to try to prevent thefts from vehicles, but it can only be done in partnership


with the public.” Commenting on the crime statistics, he said: “Perfor­ mance over the past 12 months has shown great improvement. “This is due to the outstanding


work that has been carried out in con­ junction with partner agencies, par­ ticularly the Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership as some of the long-term projects are seeing results now. “We have also shown an improve­


ment at targeting specific offenders and areas. It’s the best result we have had in the past two to three years.” Mr Bill Alker, the Ribble Valley


Borough Council’s Crime and Disor­ der Reduction Partnership Officer said: “The Ribble Valley remains the safest place to live in Lancashire and we are concerned to keep i t that way. We will be developing a num­ ber of initiatives over the coming months to help achieve this aim.”


Labour bows out of local council elections


NO candidates representing the Labour Party will fight for a seat in May’s local council elections. For the fimt time in years. Labour have not put candidates forward for


any of the 40 seats on Ribble Valley Borough Council. Instead, out of the 76 candidates, 37


will represent the Conservatives, 29 the Liberal Democrats and eight will


stand as Independents. The remaining two candidates are the BNP’s Gavin McQuade and Paul Frankland from the England First Party. O For the full story see page 2


THE heroic actions of a Gishurn resident ensured that the young occupant of this car was pulled to safety before it burst into flames. Picture by FAIZA AFZAAL ® Full story, page 2.


GIVE YOUR CAR A SPRING FACELIFT WITH A SUPER CLEANING KIT - SEE PAGE 16 I n u L l u Rescuer is hailed a hero ^ *11.. jTn ii' kf' !«i> ,>S A'i) ; A i m


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