I was somewhat disappointed to read the article on crime in Swindon, with the headline "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly."

It certainly grabs the readers' attention but, unfortunately, does little to reassure any of us whose fear of crime is greater than the real incidence of crime.

The summary showed that overall offences dropped by four per cent in Swindon in comparison to a national rise.

This reduction means 855 less offences, 855 less victims of crime. What a shame this wasn't included in the headline.

What a shame this wasn't worth commenting on in the narrative.

The article said violent crime has gone down by eight per cent.

Sex offences the ugly makeup far less than a tenth of violent crime. In this case, the increase amounted to 16 crimes, a number of which were made up of one series of indecent exposures.

While burglary did increase by 11 per cent last year, it was already down by six per cent by the end of June this year.

Having recently taken up my post as divisional commander of Swindon police I am clear about the challenges which face me and my colleagues in reducing crime, further improving our detection rates and ensuring we provide a quality service.

I do not play down this challenge. However, I am also clear about the need to present Swindon as a safe, and relatively low-crime area which reduces people's fears to a more realistic level.

While I appreciate the need for accurate and fair reporting, I hope the Advertiser will support the need to ensure that fear of crime in Swindon is not needlessly increased.

A Tatam

Divisional Commander

Swindon Police