Our View
Burglaries bring new concerns to Ilkley
The fact that Ilkley has been the target of a spate of burglaries recently is not something that should be ignored or swept under the carpet, particularly as the town can hardly be regarded as a hotbed of crime in the first place.
Ten shop burglaries have been committed in the last five weeks, and one business owner says she has been burgled ten times in the last 12 months. The very fact that Ilkley is normally fairly crime-free makes this occurrence rather worrying.
There is no doubt that in a world where budgets rule absolutely, police resources are stretched. Calls for more night patrols and CCTV cameras all over town are likely to fail on cost grounds alone.
However, what is of concern is the immediate police reaction to the crimes - sending in a crime prevention officer to try to improve shop security. Let us hasten to add that there is nothing wrong with crime prevention in itself, but surely the main emphasis should be on catching the criminals responsible.
The police reaction may well have been forced on them because they don't have the resources to maintain a round-the-clock presence in the town. But it has to be said that there is little chance of any burglars being apprehended if police don't turn up until days after a crime (as one shop owner claims) and then the main response is to examine security in shops.
Even this could be doomed to failure unless the parish council relaxes its attitude towards planning permission and allows shop owners to install extra security which, although it may not be aesthetically attractive enough for some councillors, will at least help to safeguard the future of businesses the town can ill afford to lose.
12:54pm Thursday 22nd November 2007
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