SCEPTICAL Port Talbot residents are not convinced by police claims that crime in the region is at an all-time low.

Figures released by Neath Port Talbot police show that crime in the town has dropped to record levels.

There were 611 crimes recorded last month, an average of fewer than 20 crimes a day across the division. This compares to 708 crimes recorded in January last year and 922 crimes recorded in January 2008.

However, while people are full of praise for the efforts of the police, few residents in Port Talbot said they believed that the reported crime figures were truly representative of the town.

Anne Lewis, a 48-year-old foster carer from Sandfields, said: "As a single woman, I do not think it's a safe place to live.

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"I recently had to have a security lighting installed in my back garden because people were trying to come in.

"As a foster carer, safety is extremely important — I get checked by the county every year.

"However, I do think the police do a really good job and I do have a lot of respect for them."

Ms Lewis said a lot of the problems were because of anti-social behaviour, but residents were reluctant to report these incidents.

"What's the point of phoning the police when somebody has keyed your car or pulled off your windscreen wipers?" she added.

"People lead busy lives and it's sometimes quicker and easier just to get these things fixed."

Baglan construction worker Phil Sansun, aged 63, said he doubted whether crime had actually fallen.

"The company I work for is still always getting calls from people needing new locks because doors have been knocked through," he said. "Crime definitely seems higher than five years ago. Maybe it's started to level off, but I don't believe it's fallen.

"Port Talbot is a small crime capital."

So far this year, overall crime levels are down by 13.1 per cent on last year, including significant reductions in car crime (down by 25.7 cent) and house burglaries (down 46 per cent).

Locals said that they believed recorded crimes were not the same as actual crimes carried out.

Elaine Purchase, from King Street, Port Talbot said people no longer saw the point of reporting petty crimes.

"I think, if we saw justice being done, more people would report crime," Mrs Purchase added. "If we knew what happened to the criminals and we saw that they were given more than just a slap on the wrist then maybe we would report crimes.

"My daughter is epileptic. She had a fit on a train to Swansea and some man pretended to be with her and took her bag.

"He was caught, but we never found out what happened to him."

However, 16-year-old Nadia Paterson, of Fairfields, said: "It's got to be good news that crime has fallen.

"I've lived here all my life and I think it's a safe place."

helen.keates@swwmedia.co.uk

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