NEWQUAY’S police chief believes the town has turned a corner from the bad reputation it suffered 15 years ago due to the negative impact of its nighttime economy.

Inspector Steve Johnson believes there are a number of factors why Newquay has successfully transformed its image from a party town" known for its rowdy nightlife and antisocial behaviour to a more diverse, family-friendly destination.

He says it is down to a number of initiatives, which has helped the town reduce its crime rates such as Newquay Safe and the hard work of the police officers at Newquay Police Station.

Insp Johnson spoke out about the issue at the town council’s meeting on Wednesday, December 3. He announced Newquay’s crime rate is down 2.1 per cent over the last 12 months despite the town’s population being on the rise.

Insp Johnson said: “Many people will remember Newquay 10 to 15 years ago and we were in a far, far different place back then. A number of people have done a lot of work around altering that image for the town.

“I don't have the up-to-date figure, but I know Newquay’s population is well in excessive of 125,000 people, which means that your likelihood of becoming a victim of crime is fairly low.

“Newquay is one of nine sectors in Cornwall, which include Launceston, Bodmin, St Austell, Truro and Penzance. Newquay’s crime figures were the lowest in September, October and November.

“There is a thing called the Cambridge Crime Harm Index, which demonstrates your likelihood of coming to harm in a particular area surrounded by the environment.

“For example, in our case 10 to 15 years ago, Newquay was second only to Union Street in Plymouth because of the way the town was at that time. All the work that we've done and contributed to that over the years has brought that down drastically. I look at the top 25 areas in Cornwall to see whether we feature in that harm register at all on a monthly basis. That's part of my job.

“We've dipped in and out of it over the last year or so and that comes in the summer with that influx of visitors, which increases calls for the police service around the nighttime economy. The highest we got on that this year was 21st, and we're not in it at the moment. We don't feature at all, so that's great. That location that did feature was Fore Street in Newquay and again it doesn't feature in the top 25 throughout Devon and Cornwall again, so that just demonstrates how far we've come.

“Officers in the station in Newquay really do care about what they're doing, and that shows in the crime figures. I go to performance meetings for sectors across Cornwall and our arrest rates for domestic violence, rape, serious sexual assaults as well as stalking and harassment are regularly top of those lists.

“There's always room for improvement, but Newquay is actually in a really, really good place. It's a positive environment.”