Police forces and councils have been criticised for failing to reduce crime and the fear of crime, a report out today reveals. But Bradford has been hailed as a shining example to other areas of the country in its efforts to tackle the problem.

The Audit Commission's report - called Safety in Numbers, Promoting Community Safety - has found that many police forces and councils fail to ask people about their concerns.

And the report says that, despite crime dropping by 14 per cent between 1995 and 1997, fewer than one person in ten is aware of the fall and more than half say that a fear of crime has a substantial or moderate effect on their lives.

The Audit Commission has recommended that police and councils should consult people more, target hot spots, forge partnerships and look at crime prevention rather than cure.

Bradford has been singled out for praise in its approach to public consultation. The recently published Crime and Disorder Audit for the district is the biggest piece of research carried out in the area to find the true extent of crime and people's opinions. The partnership approach to tackling crime is at the forefront of initiatives in the district, and 25 local agencies have formed the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy.

Bradford Council's community safety initiatives also were praised for partnership approaches.

Sharmila Gandhi, community safety policy officer for Bradford Council, said: "Bradford is being held up as an example of good practice, which is very pleasing. It shows we are on the right track, but we are not going to get complacent.''

Chief Inspector Joan Simpson, community safety co-ordinator for the Bradford district, said: "We have done a wide range of consultation and now we will respond to people's concerns in our strategy. There are a lot of solutions to a lot of problems."

Controller of the Audit Commission Andrew Foster said people had a right to expect that police forces and councils were doing everything in their power to prevent crime and make the streets feel safer. "To improve public safety, the police and councils need to talk to residents, identify problem areas and work together to focus on the right local solutions," he added.

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