CHESHIRE Police Authority has unveiled its policing plan for 2005/2006 but what changes can Vale Royal residents realistically expect to find with their new-look force?

A budget of £163.8million has been set aside for the division's team to ensure standards of policing in Cheshire are maintained but this funding will also be used to implement new objectives for the coming period.

Latest crime statistics, for 2003/2004, showed a nine per cent drop in recorded crime overall and a 14 per cent decrease in detected crime in the Vale Royal borough. Detected thefts from vehicles and recorded cases of violent crimes had both increased from the last period.

Ch Insp Paul McHugh, operations manager for Congleton and Vale Royal, said: "We are going from strength to strength in almost every aspect of crime fighting but I'd like to reassure the public that we are not complacent and there is still work to be done. For example, the figures for the number of violent crimes recorded and detected are figures we are committed to improving."

Now the 2005/2006 Policing Plan aims to reduce the number of victims of crime by 2,700. Nine per cent more crimes will hopefully be brought to justice and police want victims of household burglary to be reduced by four per cent. 450 fewer people are expected to fall victim to vehicle crime.

Business and commercial crimes will also be addressed. A proposed increase in detection rates for vehicle, violent and domestic burglary are part of the agenda.

Cheshire Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse said: "The plan sets out the level of service you can expect to receive from the police, details some of the initiatives that are being undertaken to address your concerns and reports on how well the Constabulary has performed over the past year.

"We saw some very promising reductions in crime in 2004, particularly in relation to domestic burglary and vehicle crime. There is still much work to be done to continue driving crime down further and making the streets even safer."