CRIMINAL damage in the town centre of Okehampton has increased — and businesses and individuals are urged to report any incident to the police immediately.

Speaking at the recent Okehampton Chamber of Trade meeting Sergeant Ian Woods, based at Okehampton Police Station, said that with reported crime the police could collate the information and build up a pattern of statistics.

He said that in the town there had been a slight increase in criminal damage over recent years. From April 1997 to April 1998 there were 119 reported incidents; from 1996-97, 111; 1995-96, 102 and from 1994-96 there were 64.

Sgt Woods said a lot of the incidents were caused by young people and probably connected with drink.

However, he said the detection rate in Okehampton is the best in the division.

'In Okehampton 66 per cent of offences reported to us are detected,' he said.

'Officers in Okehampton are working to do their best with limited resources and their detection rate looks to be a credit to them.'

He said some premises had been the victims of a number of repeat offences.

'If someone has been victimised two to three times a year we pay more rigid attention to the premises.'

Sgt Woods said most cases of criminal damage are due to alcohol and are caused on Friday and Saturday nights — but he stressed there was no set pattern.

He said the police were keen to work with everyone in the community in their endeavours to reduce crime and 'improve the quality of life'.

He accepted the force was limited in numbers at times.

'I wouldn't like to give a false impression that we have hordes of officers and can do everything because we are restricted in a rural area as to the number of officers we can put out.'

Chamber member David Terry said there was a perception of the police that they found it difficult to give cover in the town on Friday and Saturdays but there never seemed to be a shortage of traffic police.

Sgt Woods said as there was a traffic centre in Okehampton the area was better served by the traffic officers than any other area of the force.

'They are tasked to assist the patrol officers and to come back on a Saturday night to assist,' he said, adding that the present policing situation was something that was being redressed.

Mr Terry said if the police wanted to get the good will of the public they had to present a different image. 'The bias of staffing is going too much one way,' he said.

Sgt Woods said the number of officers in the force had gone down over the years. 'It is the intention to get more officers back on the beat.'

He said Inspector Sarah Curtis, who has recently joined the Okehampton police station, was very keen to work with community.

'She is here with new ideas and impetus and you will be able to utilise her as an asset for the town.'