Barnstaple's 'most dangerous' crime ranking disputed by police

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 16:00 · Archive

Police and councillors say Barnstaple's designation as Devon's most dangerous small town does not reflect reality.

An online crime statistics platform, CrimeRate.com, ranked Barnstaple as 'the most dangerous small town in Devon' with a crime rate of 100 crimes per 1,000 people in June, significantly higher than the regional average for its category. The designation has been disputed by local officials.

At a meeting of North Devon Council's licensing and community safety committee on Tuesday, police and councillors argued that the classification was misleading. Inspector Andy Wills, who leads neighbourhood policing in Barnstaple, said the town's 24,544 residents placed it only 455 people below the threshold for being classified as a medium-sized town. He noted that Barnstaple was the largest settlement across the northern half of Devon, the third largest county in England, and that it would rank behind Torquay if classified as a medium town.

Wills acknowledged that crime levels were 'fairly high' but said this was unsurprising for an urban area. When surrounding settlements such as Roundswell and Bickington were included, the area had nearly 34,000 residents. Both police and councillors stressed that Barnstaple was a place where people felt safe walking down the street.

How it is being reported

• Barnstaple is NOT 'Devon's most dangerous' small town say policeRecent crime figures from an online platform claimed Barnstaple was among the worst in Devon for crime – but local police and councillors disagreeNorth Devon Gazette · 4 Nov, 15:29
• Barnstaple's troubling crime title 'not reflective' of the placePeople can safely to walk down the street in urban town, say police and councillorsDevonLive · 3 Nov, 16:44

In this story: Barnstaple · Devon · North Devon Council · Inspector Andy Wills · Torquay · CrimeRate.com

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