Town centre mustn't become a night-time no-go area - Gale

3.51.46pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 22nd Jul 2005

Cllr Ian Gale - "Chelmsford crime trends are worrying."

Chelmsford's Lib Dem Cllr. Ian Gale welcomes the Government's official figures that crime overall has dropped by a further 7%. "But", he warned, "there is no room for complacency when the crime that causes the greatest distress - violence - is UP 7% from the previous year. And whilst the East of England is the safest region, in Chelmsford the trends are extremely worrying with sexual assaults up 31% and burglary up 55%!"

He went on, "The steady rise in violent crime is directly related to drink. The Government must ensure that Chelmsford town centre doesn't become a night-time no-go area this Summer.

Our concern is that extending opening hours for up to 24 hours will make the problems of alcohol-fuelled crime worse. The new measures should really be delayed until the binge-drinking culture has been brought under control."

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