CRIME is continuing to fall in Lancashire, with the latest statistics showing there were 4,849 fewer victims of crime in the county last year.

The final end of year statistics for April 2010 – March 2011 show that Lancashire Constabulary saw reductions in a number of different areas, despite crime already being at unprecedented low levels.

Overall, reports of crime fell by 4.5 per cent from 107,345 to 102,496. Detections of crime rose from 35.4 per cent to 37 per cent, meaning more criminals are being put before the courts.

716 fewer people fell victim to serious acquisitive crime, with reports falling 5.1 per cent, from 13,904 incidents to 13,188.

Burglary figures have been at a 30 year low – and now they have dropped again. 69 fewer people reported burglaries in their homes last year; a further reduction of 1.6 per cent.

Vehicle crime is also at its lowest for 30 years and continues to fall. Police dealt with 664 fewer victims last year; a decrease of 7.6 per cent from 8,778 incidents to 8,114. Detection rates for this area of crime also rose, from 25.6 per cent to 28.9 per cent.

Criminal damage reports are also down – the reduction from 25,135 incidents to 20,761 means there were 4,374 fewer victims.

Communities are continuing to work closely with their neighbourhood police teams to deal with local issues and as a result incidents of anti-social behaviour have reduced by 10.1 per cent. 14,193 fewer residents made reports of anti-social behaviour – down from 140,542 reports to 126,349.

However, some areas have seen an increase in some crime categories. Incidents of serious violent crime rose by 10.3 per cent, up from 1,199 incidents to 1,323.

Chief Constable Steve Finnigan, Lancashire Constabulary, said: “These figures clearly demonstrate that, even in these challenging times, our commitment to providing a first-class service to the communities of Lancashire is unwavering.

“Crime figures for Lancashire were already low, so to continue with this trend highlights the dedication of our officers and staff to keeping the county safe; and our increasing detection rates show our determination to bring criminals to justice.”

Chief Constable Finnigan added: “Reducing crime even further over the coming year will be a challenge, particularly as the impact of the cuts start to bite, but this will remain our focus. We recognise that there are some areas where we can improve, for example around violent crime, and we will work with our partners to reduce these figures and ensure that victims get the help and support that they need.”

Cllr Malcolm Doherty, Chair of the Police Authority, congratulated the Constabulary for its dogged perseverance in tackling crime in the county.

He said: “Lancashire Constabulary has consistently delivered performance improvements year on year and is acknowledged as a top performing police force. It is one thing to reach the top, but quite another to remain there and these figures show that, despite the funding cuts and changes that are taking place there has been no let up in the fight against crime. 

“As a result, there are fewer victims of crime and people in Lancashire are safer.  This is testament to the skills, professionalism and inspiring leadership within Lancashire Constabulary.

“We are aware that the task to reduce crime still further will become progressively more challenging as we seek to do more with significantly fewer resources.  However, we are confident that the combination of challenging targets and rigorous scrutiny by the Authority will enable police performance to be maintained."