Traders in Wallingford are being urged to report all crime to the police -- no matter how trivial -- in the hope of boosting the police's profile in the town.

The chairman of Wallingford Business Partnership Pat Hayward, said crime in the town was much worse than people thought. And she called on shops and business to inform the police of every single incident, so as to build up a more accurate picture of crime in the town. Mrs Hayward's plea was backed by Wallingford's police chief, Inspector Jane Meadows. She said: "Traders say many more incidents take place than are reported, but we cannot know about them and deal with them unless we are told about them. We want to know all the facts and figures so we can respond properly."

Insp Meadows said figures for shoplifting in Wallingford had remained steady, with 36 cases reported in the past year -- one more than last year. But Mrs Hayward said they were the tip of the iceberg, with many more than reported.