Crime rates drop by 14pc

Overall crime has dropped by 14 per cent across Staffordshire compared with last year, according to figures issued today.

Figures presented to Staffordshire Police Authority show that overall crime fell from 104,336 offences across the county in 2006/07 to 89,348.

Force-wide, the number of crimes monitored has dropped by 21 per cent over the last three years, smashing their target of 18 per cent.

Figures also show violent crime has dropped by 19 per cent, with 21,494 offences compared with 26,683 last year, the number of homes broken into fell by 10 per cent and 84 per cent of crime victims are telling police they were satisfied with their overall response.

Business-related crime fell during the year by nearly 17 per cent, from 12,401 offences in 2006/07 to 10,335. The number of antisocial behaviour cases dropped by three per cent to 61,777.

It has also been a bumper year for the force taking assets from drug dealers and organised crime groups.

Financial investigators stripped £3.2 million from offenders, more than double the previous year's £1.4 million total.

Police were granted 72 confiscation orders worth over £2.5 million, where offenders have to pay back a sum of money equivalent to their benefit from crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Douglas Paxton said: "Our results for 2007/08 show that we performed well in tackling many of the crimes and issues that worry people most."