POLICE chiefs in North Yorkshire are on target to give the county the best-performing force in England and Wales, according to the latest figures.

Overall crime has dropped by five per cent during April and May this year, with 11,225 offences taking place, 561 fewer than for the same period last year.

Other police figures also show that burglaries of all kinds have dropped significantly, robbery has fallen by a quarter, and instances of all types of vehicle crime have fallen.

Arrests have risen by 25 per cent, as officers utilise new technology and managers employ extra bobbies on the beat as a result of time-saving backroom bureaucracy units.

Violence, however, continues to rise, with 60 per cent more crimes involving violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence, taking place in April and May.

Violence, however, represents only a small fraction of the overall amount of crime in the county.

Chief Constable Della Cannings said "significant investment" by taxpayers, in the form of substantial police precept increases, would help achieve her vision of creating the best-performing force.

She said: "This has led to a marked step change in continuous improvement by the force, with policing initiatives such as Operation Delivery helping to make the county a safer place in which to live and work.

"Promoting safety and providing reassurance are key strands of the North Yorkshire Policing Plan, known as NY Policing Thrust.

"We recognise that to feel safe, it is important for members of the public to see officers on the beat in their communities."

Ms Cannings has pledged to make North Yorkshire the best-performing police force in England and Wales, and has refocused it on "delivery, delivery, delivery".

Last September saw the launch of Operation Delivery, a force-wide crackdown on crime that saw backroom staff brought on to the streets and "action days" targeting a backlog of wanted offenders.

Force spokesman Ron Johnson said that the increase in offences involving violence had been partly influenced by changes in the counting rules.

He said that at the same time detection rates for these offences had risen by 110 per cent.

North Yorkshire Police currently has 1,562 police officers, 93 per cent of whom are in operational posts.

In the past year, 80 officers have been redeployed to frontline posts.

The number of police staff, such as call handlers and case investigators, has also risen from 724 to 927 in the past year.

There are also 52 police community support officers.

Jane Kenyon, police authority chairman, said: "The force is on course to achieving the long-term aim of being the best-performing police force in the country."

:: Ups and downs of police work

North Yorkshire Police figures for April and May reveal the following statistical changes:

DOWN

Overall crime, by five per cent to 11,225 offences

Robbery, by a quarter to 56

Domestic burglaries, by 36 per cent to 516

Non-domestic burglaries, by a quarter to 832.

Vehicle crime, by 43 per cent to 1,099

Thefts from vehicles, by almost half to 758

Thefts of vehicles, by a quarter to 341

UP

Violent offences, including sexual assault and domestic violence, by 60 per cent

Arrests by 26 per cent to 4,773

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, June 09, 2004