West Yorkshire is bucking the national crime trend, according to Home Office figures out today.

The county was one of only two metropolitan forces in England and Wales to show a drop in recorded crime for the year ending September 1999.

The 0.7 per cent decrease in West Yorkshire compares with a 2.2 per cent national increase and a rise of almost six per cent across metropolitan areas - those larger forces covering wide geographical areas.

West Yorkshire Assistant Chief Constable Steve Smith welcomed the drop and said it was partly down to policing divisions joining forces with local groups and organisations to fight crime. An example of such a scheme is the multi-agency Bradford and District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, a crime-fighting strategy launched last April.

Mr Smith said: "We are committed to working with local people and groups to develop long-lasting solutions to issues in local communities. Although we cannot be complacent we are pleased to note that we are among the best-performing metropolitan forces which traditionally suffer from higher levels of crime."

He added that independent surveys in West Yorkshire had shown increased levels of public satisfaction at a time when the force's overall budget was reducing.

Today's figures, announced by Home Secretary Jack Straw, showed there were 268,767 offences recorded in West Yorkshire in the 12 months to September.

Violent crime, including attacks, sex offences and robberies, increased by 6.2 per cent and there was also a slight increase in burglaries. Thefts of cars reduced by 5.4 per cent and theft from cars fell by nearly 10 per cent.

In North Yorkshire, there was also a slight drop in the number of recorded crimes. The crime rate of 7,434 crimes per 100,000 population is one of the lowest in the country.

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