CRIME across the North Worcestershire policing division has dropped by more than 11 per cent.

Recorded crime for 2004/05 was down by 11.3 per cent across the Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest area from 28,761 cases to 25,509.

In the division, domestic burglaries were down 23.3 per cent to 1,270, vehicle crime fell by more than 14 per cent, violent crime by 17 per cent and robbery dropped by more than 39 per cent.

North Worcestershire had an overall detection rate of 28.1 per cent.

North Worcestershire divisional commander Chief Superintendent Mark Howard said: "We are very pleased with the figures, which show we are moving in the right direction. We are particularly pleased to see the number of violent crimes and robberies down."

He added: "We would like to reassure the public that these types of crimes remain rare in the Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest districts and North Worcestershire is a safe place in which to live and work.

"However, we are not complacent and we are continually working to try to bring down the figures further, as well as increasing the number of detections."

Last week West Mercia Constabulary announced its figures were also down by more than 11 per cent.

Figures for the year April 2004 to March 2005 showed overall crime across the Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin area had fallen below 100,000 recorded offences for the first time in five years.