Hotspot focus cuts crime, say police

Albany police believe a refocusing of resources is making inroads in reducing crime with the "right place, right time" methodology resulting in offences dropping significantly.

Nine months since police deployed Strikeforce Balingan - a tactical shift to focus on the suburbs across the City that require the greatest amount of police resources - 130 fewer offences have been recorded compared with the same time last year.

Since January, patrolling officers have focused their attention on hotspot locations identified through reported offences and the community providing information on suspicious behaviour.

Albany police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Quentin Flatman said the change was starting to make a significant impact on crime.

"We are over 130 offences below what was reported at the same time last year," he said.

"We also look at our figures across a five-year average because they do go up and down and spike and drop and we are on current offences reported now in alignment with a five-year average, so that means we are actually tracking as we should in reducing crime."

An _Albany Advertiser _investigation in March into crime rates from February 2012 to February 2014 found Spencer Park and Orana led the way as crime hotspots.

The suburbs recorded the most combined offences of burglaries, assaults and motor vehicle theft in the 12 months to February this year.

Sen Sgt Flatman said there had been a significant decrease in burglaries in August, a consequence of patrols undertaking a problem-oriented policing approach.

He said a crackdown on drug dealers was key to cutting crime.

"Our drug offences are up, which is what we want them to be because if our drug offences are up it means we are seizing more drugs," he said. "It is all sort of linked … we are attacking the problem and some degree the cause of the problems."

Sen Sgt Flatman said police were wary that with the approaching warmer weather, higher-intensity policing would be required.

"Crime will increase given the warmer weather because people are more active," he said.