BURGLARY comes top of the public's fears about crime in Bolton's first ever formal survey.

Last year questionnaires were distributed to residents of the town and printed in the Bolton Evening News in an attempt to discover local people's perceptions of crime.

A total of 534 survey forms were returned and, although the replies were anonymous, people were asked to to give their gender, area in which they live, age and ethnic origin to help police build up a clearer picture of the concerns different groups of people have.

Nearly half of people who replied said they had experienced crime over the last 12 months, with slightly more men than women being victims.

People were most concerned about burglary, with the highest numbers falling into the 15 to 25 age group and many people mentioned concern at the number of burglaries in their own areas.

Fears

Some people said they were so afraid of the crime that they felt unable to leave their own homes and many people expressed fears about conmen, as well as concern about inadequate lighting, doors and locks.

Car crime is also a big worry, with eight out of 10 people saying they are either very or fairly concerned about it and vandalism comes high up people's list of anxieties with 67pc of people expressing fears about it.

Physical attacks are also a dread for many people, especially women. Two thirds of people said they were concerned about physical assault and 64pc of women who answered the question said they were afraid of sexual assault.

"I don't feel safe at night because of the threat of being mugged or raped," commented one respondent.

When it comes to worries about groups of people gathering in public places it is more of a concern to older people, with more than three quarters of 56 to 75-year-olds expressing a view, mainly about gangs of young people in the streets.

"Young children are a nuisance round here and their parents do not care," said one older resident.

Harassment, including racial harassment, is also a concern for 66pc of people, while the "hidden crime" of domestic violence has only 8pc of women and 6pc of men saying they were very concerned about it.

The survey did not contain a specific question about drugs and alcohol misuse but a number of people brought up the subject on their forms expressing concerns about the levels of drug dealers and addicts in their areas.

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