Crime rates in Cornwall: update

As our neighbours in England indulge in their customary post-Christmas ritual of topping each other it’s time to update the crime map of Cornwall.

Unfortunately, the latest available statistics at (very old) ward level take us only to March 2011. Bang up to date detailed data exist –right down to street level – if you want to check on what your neighbour has recently been up to. But these don’t use the same boundaries as the crime maps and the two datasets are not easily compatible, a frustrating but annoyingly common feature of data in the UK.

No matter, in the year to March 2011 where were the places inCornwall with the most crime, the ones where the natives are restless and the ‘new Cornish’might prefer to avoid? Which places are ignored by lifestyle peak-time TVprogrammes designed to lure even more people to Cornwall?

And on the contrary, where are those places which are most crime-free, quiet arcadia of peacefulness, places to enjoy that leisurely pace of life, with only the distant drone of the helicopter ferrying the super-rich to their second home and the remote roar of the A30 to disturb those suburban dreams?

Here’s the top 20. With the annual number of reported crimes per 1,000 population.

1. Redruth 94

2. Penzance 84

3. Liskeard 83

4. Newquay 82

5= Truro and Bodmin 66

7. Camborne 65

8= Lanson and Hayle 64

10. Penryn 63

11= Falmouth and St Austell 62

13= Callington and Bude 58

15. Illogan 51

16. Looe/St Martin 47

17. St Ives 45

18. Ludgvan/Towednack 44

19. Helston 43

20. Camelford 41

Penzance has lost its first place to the somewhat less deprived Redruth, with Liskeard also shooting up (?) the table to come a close third. Other movers are Camborne, up three places, while Hayle is a new entrant in the top ten. Meanwhile, the university town of Penryn slips seven places despite all those unruly students. Saltash and Torpoint, with rates of 40 and 36 respectively, retain their status as the least crime-affected towns of Cornwall.

Keeping the streets safe in Redruth. 'Ere, drop that litter, did 'ee pard?'

The bottom 20 are as follows.

1. Lynher 10

3= Week St Mary/Whitstone, St Keverne, Valency (near Boscastle) and South Petherwin 12

6. Meneage 13
7. St Endellion/St Kew 14

9= St Cleer/St Neot, Goldsithney, Probus and Marhamchurch 15

12= St Ewe and North Petherwin 16

15= Stithians, Grenville, Landrake/St Dominick and Feock/Kea 17

18= Devock/Sheviock and Mullion 18

21= Roseland, Stokeclimsland and Altarnun 19

The least crime–ridden spot is Lynher, on the eastern slopes of Bodmin Moor, which enjoys ten times less crime than Redruth. It doesn’t need an Oxbridge-trained criminologist to tell us that the areas with the least crime are all rural, all better off, and all have lower population densities.

But don’t fret. Cornwall is urbanising very rapidly and Cornwall Council’s cunning plan is to increase that particular growth rate. So the rural areas will gradually shrink, population densities will equally gradually rise and our children can look forward to rising rates of crime.