Bradford was today rocked by new figures which reveal crime has soared by more than 17 per cent over the last year.

The statistics highlight how the district suffered the highest rise anywhere in the county, with robberies also spiralling by an alarming 68.7 per cent.

The police figures also show Bradford to have the lowest crime detection rate, with only 17 per cent of offences solved.

The district's most senior officer said the figures had been inflated by last summer's riots and a string of murders and shootings which had drawn resources away from their everyday duties.

The quarterly crime trend statistics show the county-wide murder rate rose by 35 per cent while attempted murders were up 61 per cent, many of them linked to violent drug feuds.

As West Yorkshire Police Authority prepared to discuss the findings, one leading Bradford member said hundreds of extra constables were needed.

Councillor Clive Richardson said: "It is a reflection of the resources available. There will only be a notable improvement when local and national politicians grasp the nettle and say 'We need more officers'. I would think it would take between 2,000 and 3,000 extra."

Coun Richardson paid tribute to the existing force and added: "At the moment, our officers are working unbelievably hard. They are embarrassed that they just don't have the resources to provide the service they would like to."

He said: "In terms of detection of major crimes, things are being kept on top of. But with offences such as burglaries and thefts - the 'everyday' crimes which effect the wider public more - they are very strained. Morale is low because of that."

Coun Richardson highlighted that in West Yorkshire there was only one police officer to every 434 members of the public, whereas in New York - where crime figures have been slashed - it was one to 197.

The crime figures show 70,011 recorded offences in Bradford between February 2001 and January 2002 - a 17.4 per cent jump on the previous 12 months. This includes offending during the summer riots.

Robberies were up 68.7 per cent in Bradford district while the county witnessed a 164 per cent increase in attacks for mobile phones.

Violent crime in Bradford rose by 13.3 per cent, house burglaries by 20.7 per cent and vehicle crime by 23 per cent.

The number of recorded racist incidents was up 32.5 per cent - more than double the countywide average. Incidents of domestic violence dropped by 1.5 per cent.

Assistant Chief Constable Greg Wilkinson, Bradford's most senior officer, highlighted the effects of the riots and a string of major offences.

He said: "We have had to divert officers from crime-fighting duties to ensure no further disorder and we have had to take officers from divisional policing to conduct a massive investigation into the riots, leading to more than 200 arrests."

While the force's maximum guideline for officers being drafted on to major incidents is 249, the current number is around 270.

Chris Turton, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: "Often the first thing that officers are having to do when they go out to a burglary victim is apologise for the delay and explain they have four officers covering 20 incidents."

Although the budget allowed for 420 new recruits in the coming year, retirements would cut the true number of extra officers on the street to 190, he said.

And this would still leave the force strength slightly short of 5,000 when there were more than 5,200 in 1997, he claimed.