Disabled access to police stations in West Yorkshire is among the worst in the country according to new figures out today.

The Audit Commission report showed that at the end of 1998/99 none of the force's 51 buildings open to the public were accessible to people with disabilities.

West Yorkshire Police was one of only four forces in England and Wales handed a zero mark in the report. The others were Cambridgeshire, Durham and Kent.

Bary Malik, co-ordinator of Asian Disability Awareness Action in Bradford, said it was a shocking statistic.

"People with disabilities are often targets for criminals so it is worrying they have problems gaining access to the district's police stations to report incidents," he said.

"I hope the police will take notice of the Audit Commission report and waste no time in putting things right."

Of the other six metropolitan police authorities Merseyside tops the Audit Commission list with 27 of its 42 buildings converted.

The Metropolitan Police, the country's largest force - has 189 buildings open to the public and 84 are accessible to people with disabilities.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said five stations had been made accessible to the disabled in 1999/2000.

He added that others, such as Eccleshill already had ramp access for wheelchairs, but did not necessarily meet stringent Audit Commission standards.

The spokesman said: "The force has invested heavily in improving its buildings. Five satisfy the very stringent definition of disabled access and it is hoped to improve that in this year's building programme."

The Audit Commission report does however highlight the force's success in tackling crime. Detection rates for all crime was up from 23 per cent in 1997/98 to 24.5 per cent in 1998/99.

The report also shows the force had the biggest fall in burglaries since 1994/95 with a 23 per cent reduction.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Garvin said: "Part of our success is down to increased partnerships - joining forces with local groups and organisations to fight crime and create safer communities."

The report showed more than 93 per cent of burglary victims and more than 95 per cent people involved in injury road accidents reported they were satisfied with the quality of service. Only 77 per cent of people said they were satisfied with the front counter service at police stations.

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