POLICE in Felixstowe are today winning the war against crime.Senior officers say a raft of initiatives to tackle problems plus partnerships with the community have been behind the 13 per cent drop in crime at the resort this year.

POLICE in Felixstowe are today winning the war against crime.

Senior officers say a raft of initiatives to tackle problems plus partnerships with the community have been behind the 13 per cent drop in crime at the resort this year.

On top of that detection rates are up to 32pc and the Felixstowe sector is the best performing area in east Suffolk.

Felixstowe police commander Insp Neal Atwell said he was delighted with the latest figures.

“Everyone has been working very hard - both my officers and those involved with us in various partnerships and schemes,” he said.

“The progress has been very good this year and we are now through the summer, traditionally the busiest period for many offences, and into the quieter autumn period and we are very focussed on keeping ahead of our targets.

“I am very pleased. Morale is high and the staff are happy.”

Insp Atwell said projects such as CCTV around the leisure centre - which had been a troublespot with gangs of youths hanging around causing damage and intimidating people - and the moves to drive young drinkers out of the town centre had been key initiatives.

But the Nightsafe scheme with pubs and club owners and seafront residents was also still working extremely well, ensuring that people could come to Felixstowe for a safe night out.

“We have done a lot of work on preventative measures to stop the crimes happening in the first place. For example, if we can arrest people for being drunk and disorderly, that in some cases will prevent that situation escalating into violence,” he said.

“Our Special Constables have been involved in a lot of pro-active projects, and the Community Support Officers and community police team under Sgt Mick Richardson have worked really hard and made a significant difference.”

While all crime is 13pc down on last year, one of the biggest successes is in tackling vandalism, with criminal damage down 32pc from 315 offences last year to 214 this year.

House burglaries are 17pc lower and shoplifting is also down nine pc.

Do you feel safe in Felixstowe - what do you think of crime in the town? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk