New statistics about the number of crimes committed in Abbots Langley between February 2020 and January 2023 provide a fascinating insight into the village’s crime rates.
Last year, 1,127 incidents were reported, compared to 1,197 in 2021. Over the past seven years, 2021 was the year with the highest number of crimes reported in the village.
Abbots Langley generally had a lower rate of crimes compared to the average rate across Hertfordshire, apart from in the areas of vehicle crime, criminal damage and arson, and robbery. Overall, the crime rate in the village is 15 per cent lower than the country average.
However, September 2022 proved to be a particularly bad month for crime. During this month, Abbots was ranked as the small town in Hertfordshire with the highest rates of burglary, criminal damage and arson for that time period.
The most common crimes taking place in Abbots Langley are violent or sexual offences (VSO), with 473 incidents taking place in 2022. This was a 17 per cent drop from 2021, however, when 556 VSO offences were recorded.
The least common crime in the village was possession of weapons, of which there were only eight recorded incidents last year.
Of the crimes that took place last year, only five were committed in Abbots Langley’s green spaces, with one incident of anti-social behaviour (ASB) at Langleybury Playing Field, another ASB incident at Leavesden Country Park, and three ASB incidents and a VSO incident at the South Way Play Area.
Breaking things down to a street level, the location which had the most incidents of crime in the village last year was the junction between Parsonage Close and Abbots Road. A total of 23 incidents were reported there last year.
This is followed by School Mead and Hazelwood Lane, where 21 incidents were reported last year, and High Acres, where a total of 12 incidents were reported.
Sergeant Jon Brown, from the Abbots Langley Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Our officers are working hard every day to tackle crime and bring criminals to justice. Crime reports across many crime types were markedly lower in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and associated lockdowns where in many instances there were fewer opportunities for people to commit crime. It was always anticipated that the figures would increase again as the country opened back up again following this period.
“We can see this the most with offences that tend to occur in public spaces, such as thefts from person, violence, criminal damage and public order offences, as well as sexual offences which may also be associated with people being able to meet up again. Some of this can be attributed in part to an increase in public confidence to report crime and suspicious activity.
“In Abbots Langley, we have seen a reduction in sexual offences, domestic abuse offences, assaults and possession of offensive weapons over the last year, compared to the year before. We are committed to keeping crime as low as possible. We hold regular crime prevention and security marking events, and also visit residents to pass on advice on a range of topics through our Safer Streets scheme.
“More recently, we have held regular operations around theft from motor vehicles and vehicle interference offences following a recent spike in reports. We also offer free crime prevention surveys to try and deter or prevent burglaries, as well as attending every burglary report.
“The local Safer Neighbourhood Team are always keen to hear from local residents about what they would like to see them focusing on in the area. Feedback is used to help with organising patrol
plans, campaigns and local events. You can give the team your anonymous feedback via our community voice platform echo.”
To view the statistics, visit this website.
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