WINSFORD and Middlewich police are improving their crime detection rates and making the towns safer places to live, according to a new report.

The annual joint report of the Cheshire Police Authority and the Cheshire Constabulary give details of the performance of the local police, and this year's figures show that recorded crime has dropped by more than six per cent.

Chief Constable Nigel Burgess said: "Four years ago the county recorded 77,465 crimes. By 1997/98, this figure had fallen to 59,455, a reduction of almost 24 per cent.

"In human terms, it means that 18,000 fewer people were victimised. The figures demonstrate that Cheshire is becoming a safer place to live."

There does, however, seem to have been a rise in domestic violence. Last year there were 8,997 complaints, which shows that people are now more willing to report domestic violence.

The report states: "It is clear that a screen has been gradually pulled aside to reveal the true number of people - primarily women and children - who have been victimised in their own homes."

There has also been an increase in the detection of violent crimes, which now stands at 88 per cent, two per cent up on the constabulary's target of 86 per cent.

Not all targets have been achieved - the detection of household burglaries per 100 officers was set at 110, but reached only 85.

But many results were close to their targets, such as that of arrests per 1,000 population for drugs-related crime, which reached 1.8 compared to the target of 1.9 arrests.

The report also shows that the police are trying to get more bobbies on the beat to provide a 'high visibility patrol'. This seems to be influenced by public demand for more foot and mobile patrols.

And it seems that the public are growing more trusting of the police. This is shown in the growth of 999 calls, which topped 100,000 last year.

Chief Constable Burgess said: "We can identify this rise in demand as a positive feature, indicative of greater public trust and involvement in policing.

"Many thousands of calls we receive are aimed at assisting us. They come from people reporting suspicious or illegal activity who understand that community vigilance is an essential component of the fight against crime."

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