NEARLY 250 fewer people fell victim to crime in Craven last year.

Newly-released figures for the year ending March 31 2006 show that crime fell to 3,115 - a drop of 7. 3 per cent or 244 offences. Officers had been set a reduction target of 10 per cent.

But Craven's area commander Chief Insp Chris Chelton told the Herald: "I am very pleased with the figures. They come after a reduction in 2004-2005 and to cut crime by a further 10 per cent was always a challenge.

"I think the figures speak for themselves - 244 fewer victims and some of the best crime figures in the area. They are the result of a lot of hard work by my officers and staff."

He said he was particularly pleased that house burglaries had been cut from 171 to 139 - a fall of 18.7 per cent. "That is less than one every three days," said Chief Insp Chelton.

Burglaries at non-domestic premises - ranging from shops to sheds - fell by 10 per cent, from 312 to 282, while thefts and damage incidents went down by 4.6 per cent, from 1,831 to 1,746.

"We do have a problem with damage offences," admitted Chief Insp Chelton. "Anti-social behaviour will again be the focus of our attention this year. It is important to tackle quality-of-life issues."

Violent crime also saw a decrease - down 13.2 per cent, from 821 to 713. Such offences range from assaults to being abusive.

"We have the best figures in the western area, if not the force, but I am still concerned about the levels of woundings. There is work still to be done there."

Chief Insp Chelton paid tribute to Stand - a group of licensees in Skipton - which worked closely with the police on licensing issues. The initiative has recently been extended to include North and South Craven.

"It is seen as a good example of partnership working. I am pleased the initiative has been extended to the rural areas - it has, in a large part, contributed to one of our greatest successes this year," he added.

Locally, officers managed to push the detection rate up from 35 to 37 per cent, but it still fell short of the 40 per cent target. "It was a big challenge and we had one of the highest figures in North Yorkshire," said Chief Insp Chelton.

Another high point was the reduction in fatal and serious accidents. In 2003, the area saw 78 such crashes. This fell to 61 in 2004 and 48 in 2005.

Chief Insp Chelton said the fall was due to a number of initiatives - including Operation Halter, which targets motorcyclists, and Operation Siren, which is an education campaign involving the ambulance and fire services. "It is very commendable," he added.

Local road policing officers were also at the forefront of enforcement - they issued 112 of the 148 fixed penalty notices given to speeding motorists across the county between March 25 and August 21 and were responsible for 59 of the 65 summonses sent out for traffic offences over the same period.

However it was not all good news. Car crime in Craven rose by 4.9 per cent - from 224 to 235 - with South Craven being a particular problem area.

"The public can avoid becoming victims by removing any valuables, locking their vehicles and using garages if they have them," said Chief Insp Chelton.

Looking forward to the next 12 months, he said he hoped the new neighbourhood police teams - including 11 community support officers - would help the force meet this year's target of reducing crime by 4.5 per cent and increasing the detection rate to 41 per cent.

"It is a realistic target," said Chief Insp Chris Chelton. "Last year, the bar was raised and Craven Police rose to the challenge and the fact we got so close demonstrates we are not going to shirk our responsibilities."

Across the county crime fell by 4.1 per cent last year, with 59,086 reported crimes.

Chief Constable Della Cannings said: "With the co-operation of local people, I believe the current trends are sustainable and that further improvements can be achieved."