Police hail fall in crime

Comparing the operational year April 2006 to March 2007 to the previous year, violence involving injury, domestic burglaries and vehicle crime all saw reductions.

The only types of crime on the increase are low-level assaults which do not result in serious harm and theft of cycles.

The figures are contained in the Annual Performance Report delivered to a meeting of the Dorset Police Authority by Chief Constable Martin Baker.

He said: "We set out to make Dorset safer - and to make Dorset feel safer - and this is exactly what has been achieved.

"Residents can feel confident that they live in one of the lowest crime areas in the country and there has never been such a high probability that criminals in the county will be caught and brought to justice.

"It's a credit to all our staff that crime is at its lowest level for ten years and the detection rate is among the highest in the county."

Mr Baker said the public had played their part by taking security advice and giving the police information about crime and criminals.

Criminal justice agencies, councils and other partners have also contributed towards the fall in crime, Mr Baker said.

Violent crime has seen its first reduction in seven years, down 13 per cent.

Domestic burglaries fell by 23.9 per cent and vehicle crime by 20.8 per cent.

Other successes over the past year include more than 370 arrests for the supply of Class A drugs, over 17,000 offences brought to justice (2,000 more than target) and £3.8 million worth of assets seized from criminals.

Tragically, 375 people died on the roads last year but this was significantly fewer than in 2002.

The force is helping to change attitudes about speed and road safety issues and 9,000 people signed up for the Driver Awareness Scheme in 2006/07.

Figures from this current year reveal the success story is continuing although the force is concerned about the amount of break-ins, including distraction burglaries, being reported - 79 cases in two months.