A RISE in crime in Selby is not as bad as it appears, police have assured residents.

A recent meeting of the Central Community Engagement Forum heard the number of homes burgled since April had risen by 23 per cent, incidents of criminal damage had gone up by 40 per cent. 

Incidents of criminal damage, which have been reported in Selby Park, Scott Road, the community centre, and near Tiny Tots Nursery in the park, saw CCTV installed at one venue, and officers have used dispersal orders to split up groups of young people who were intimidating locals in the town centre.

Insp Michelle Falkingham said there had been four robberies in the town centre in the last six months, compared with one last year, but while it was "not acceptable", the issue did not represent a crime wave, and CCTV has already led to suspects in a spate of robberies being arrested.

She said: "When we did the work, two robberies were on one night in August. They were linked offences with linked offenders who have been identified from CCTV.

"The CCTV being installed is a real win for us, as it's never been covered before. Without that CCTV in the community centre, we would never have identified these individuals, who were local and some were juveniles. The key message is about what we're targetting on a day to day basis."

Shop theft in the town has also fallen by about 50 per cent, which Insp Falkingham said was down to "a real effort for three months over the summer", which let repeat offenders know police were monitoring them, and better working with local stores to improve the way incidents were reported.

However, Insp Falkingham said she wanted to remind residents police needed input from the public to make sure they could respond to their concerns.

She said: "We only know how and where to focus resources if people report them to us. Things shift, we can't focus on everything."

In coming weeks, extra work will be done with elderly and vulnerable residents, and more will be done to highlight concerns over child sexual exploitation and hate crime reporting in the town.

To report a crime in progress, phone 999. To report concerns about non-emergency issues, phone 101.