Barnsley is the safest place in South Yorkshire, according to the region's police and crime commissioner.
Shaun Wright claims that 62 crimes are committed per 1,000 people in Barnsley, compared to 63 in Rotherham, 72 in Doncaster and 72 in Sheffield.
Mr Wright, who was born in Royston and later lived in Carlton and Higham before moving to Rotherham where he became a Labour councillor, says the biggest issues in Barnsley are related to car crime.
He told the Chronicle: "Barnsley is the safest place in South Yorkshire in terms of overall crime when you compare to Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield.
"When I grew up in Barnsley there were a lot less crimes than there are now. People were trusting and had greater respect for people and their property.
"Society has changed a lot but some of those historical values have been passed down from generation to generation.
"We all know that Barnsley folk – and South Yorkshire folk – are genuinely nicer than people in other parts of the country.
"The top priorities remain around dealing with car crime, including car break-ins and the stealing of cars. Burglaries and shoplifting are also on the rise, but drugs possession is reducing.
"I must add that there's a whole raft of crimes that are going unreported. There's things like fraud, stalking and harassment and bullying through social media but many of these crimes go unreported, so I suspect if they were included then the statistics would be very different."
Mr Wright has fond memories of growing up in Barnsley, and his office is based on Regent Street.
He was appointed Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire almost one year ago and says he is enjoying his role.
"It's been an intense and busy period and you have to take in a lot of information all the time," he said.
"I'm also the first person in this role for this area so you have to spend a lot of time raising public awareness and explaining what it is that we actually do.
"We are responsible for commissioning services that led to reduction in crime and antisocial behaviour. We have to set priorities and the budget here in South Yorkshire.
"Growing up in Barnsley was wonderful and it's great to be back here now having an influence over the area. I grew up in a strong mining community in Royston and always thought I'd end up down the pit or at the coking plant."
