Bradford's crime-fighting hotshots have unveiled ambitious new plans to make the district's streets safer.

A new three year community safety strategy has set out how organisations like the Council and the police intend to build on recent success which saw crime figures tumble by 20 per cent in 2003/4 compared to a year earlier.

The district's Safer Comm-unities Partnership launched its new 2005-2008 strategy at a special event at the Midland Hotel yesterday.

Among its aims are to reduce Bradford's overall crime level by six per cent in 2006/07 and do the same again in 2007/08.

Domestic burglaries, currently running at 31.1 per 1000 properties, would be reduced to 22.7 by 2007/08.

Violent crime, now at 13.8 per 1,000 population, would be cut to around ten within the three-year period. The strategy also aims to clamp down on vehicle crime - seeing less than 20 per 1,000 people affected instead of the current level of 27.

The partnership's work for the following three years will focus on tackling crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and fear of crime.

It intends to do this by having Police Community Support Officers and wardens on the streets, but it also expects to see more support for vulnerable people as well as extra resources put into preventing offending and enforcing the law through things like ASBOs.

Sarah Brown, West Yorkshire Police's Divisional Commander for Bradford South and co-chairman of the Safer Communities Partnership, welcomed the current downward trend in crime figures.

She added: "The Safer Communities Partnership's 2005-08 strategy will continue to build on this success and highlights the focus of our work over the next three years in tackling crime, disorder, anti-social and unsafe behaviour and substance misuse."

Initiatives such as Crackdown, Dob in a Dealer and the Drugs Intervention Programme were applauded as recent successes along with the use of new technology like CCTV and crime-mapping which helps police target 'hotspot' areas.

Over the past three years the Safer Communities Partnership has reduced:

l Domestic burglary by 28 per cent

l Vehicle crime by 24 per cent

l Robbery by 42 per cent

l Commercial crime by 6 per cent

Councillor Margaret Eaton, co-chairman of the Partner-ship, said: "The fact that crime figures have fallen over the last three years across the district is wonderful news.

"It highlights the importance of working together and reinforces the great efforts being made by many people to reduce crime."

The Partnership comprises bodies including the Council, West Yorkshire Police, Probation, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority and the district's four Primary Care Trusts, working with a whole range of other local organisations.

For more information or to download the strategy visit www.saferbradford.org.uk