At a time when widespread concern about the rise in knife attacks is in the news every day, it is hardly surprising that West Yorkshire Police should find themselves having to report that public concern about crime is high despite statistical evidence that overall the recorded level is down.

While it is encouraging that there has been a drop in less serious incidents of violence such as minor assaults in the street, contributing to a 9.6 per cent decrease in violent crimes overall, the 4,428 “serious” crimes in this category, including 915 which involved a knife or sharp instrument, are far from reassuring. As there are no year-on-year comparitive figures, it is hard to know whether or not knife crime is up or down but, either way, there is still too much of it.

That apart, the recorded West Yorkshire crime figures show a reassuring downward trend, with an eight per cent average reduction. The number of robberies in the last year was down by 5.1 per cent on 2006/7. Vehicle crime was down by 14 per cent and crimes involving criminal damage by more than 12 per cent. Unfortunately the number of house burglaries has increased marginally on last year – although there were half the number of victims than there were five years ago.

Deputy Chief Constable David Crompton rightly points to the increased emphasis on local, visible policing as a way of deterring the criminals and boosting public confidence. Deterring knife-crime, though, probably needs something more than effective high-profile policing. It requires a sea change in the mindset of some sections of the younger generation and greater vigilance by their parents.