West Yorkshire Police has failed to hit any of the crime reduction targets set out under its yearly strategy plan.

The newly-released West Yorkshire Police Authority report makes depressing reading for the force, showing violent crime, robberies, house burglary and vehicle crime all to be on the rise. Following consultation between police authority members, residents across the county and senior officers, a number of objectives were drawn up within the county's Policing Plan to cut offending in key areas over the year 2001/2002.

The police authority report showed that none of the five targets - reducing violent crime, robbery, house burglary, vehicle crime and repeat victimisation - had been successfully achieved. Only the repeat victimisation target was 'partially met' with fewer burglary victims being targeted more than once, but there were more repeat victims of both racial abuse and domestic violence.

Under the heading of violent crime, the report revealed it had been a 'difficult year' with offences actually rising by almost 4,000 across the county.

It highlighted instances of serious disorder such as the Bradford riots and a new method of 'positive crime recording' as having a major impact.

The report added that an "unprecedented upward trend in robbery persisted throughout the year" with mobile phone thefts doubling over 12 months.

It went on to stress that with more resources being made available, personal robbery was now being brought "under control".

Addressing the issue of house burglary, the report conceded that not enough resources were being put into tackling the problem, the result being that "performance is suffering".

And, although over recent years vehicle crime had fallen countywide, last year's figures showed a jump of almost 13 per cent with 7,451 offences.

Elsewhere, the document highlighted that drug-related crime had not been cut, although more addict offenders were being referred into treatment programmes.

But, on a positive note, it did show that successes had been achieved in some areas such as increasing visible policing and upping the number of ethnic minority recruits joining the force.