Councillor concerned about crimes

Coun Mumtaz Hussain made the comments after a house was ransacked in Scout Hill on Monday and safe full of cash was stolen from a Ravensthorpe business last week.

He said: “Over the past year it has been every two or three weeks that somebody has been getting burgled and we are not getting to the bottom of it.”

He said the thefts mainly affected Asian families who keep cash and gold in their homes, and said he was concerned that the police were not telling people about these crimes.

“The police are saying that things are improving, but why are these things not coming out?” he said.

Coun Hussain said the public should be kept up-to-date on incidents in their area so they know if they need to be on their guard against crime.

He said: “If nobody tells me there has been a robbery in my street, I would probably leave my door open but if I found out something had happened I would be secure and lock up. The police should tell people what’s happening.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Everything reasonable is being done to keep members of the public updated about crime in their area such as PACT meetings and NPT surgeries – but we have to create a balance between keeping people informed and telling them about every single crime that occurs.

“We also have to take into consideration the victims wishes. Some people ask us not to publicise a crime and we have to respect that.”

She said appeals for information were released through the media, but only when necessary, and that there have been 900 fewer burglaries in Kirklees in the last year.