The internet is full of statistics from police about how crime is dropping across the country and where we live is becoming safer.
People are more aware of their safety and take the precautions against being targeted. But how accurate are these reports?
Some news stories claim statistics are being tweaked to make things appear to be progressing faster than they really are.
I had a look at some of the more detailed crime statistic sites which give breakdowns of crime in areas based on post codes.
The Keighley area (BD21) showed a total of 258 crimes reported in December 2014. This was the lowest number of crimes of a month in 2014.
8 of these were burglaries.
30 were shoplifting incidents,
4 thefts from a person,
26 were other thefts.
The peak of crime in 2014 in Keighley appears to have been in July, as it had 431 reported crimes.
42 of these were burglaries, the largest amount of burglaries reported in the area in the last 5 years.
The Skipton area (BD23) showed a total of 121 crimes, the second lowest month total of 2014.
11 of these were burglaries,
14 shoplifting incidents,
1 theft from a person,
7 other thefts.
The Halifax area (HX1) showed 13 burglaries in December 2014 but 52 shoplifting incidents. The highest recorded number of burglaries for here in the last 5 years was January 2011 with 54 burglaries.
Bingley area (BD16) showed 140 crimes in December 2014, 27 of these were burglaries. The total number of crimes that month were 140, meaning December and October 2014 were the lowest months for crime in Bingley, 2014.
Harrogate showed 354 crimes in December 2014. 11 of these were burglaries, 27 shoplifting and 26 other thefts.
City centres have a shift in crimes, with Bradford and Leeds both showing an increase in shoplifting and a decrease in burglaries. Bradford saw 8 burglaries in December 2014, but a high 81 shoplifting crimes. Leeds showed a similar pattern, with 16 burglaries in December 2014, but a staggering 118 reported shoplifting incidents.
Do you think these statistics give an accurate portrayal of the areas where you live?
Why not have a look for yourself, and see how safe is the area where you live, at http://www.ukcrimestats.com/