crime has fallen across the Winchester district and the police are catching more criminals, according to the latest figures.

In the Winchester and east Hampshire district between April 2011-March 2012 crime dropped 3.7 per cent from 11,094 in 2010/11 to 10,688 in 2011/12.

There was also a 3.7 per cent drop in violent crime, from 904 to 871; serious acquisitive crime (including robbery and domestic burglary) fell 2.4 per cent from 1,285 to 1,254; whilst criminal damage was down 6.6 per cent from 2,058 to 1,922.

Clear-up rates rose from 26.6 per cent to 29.7 per cent, according to figures released yesterday.

Across the wider area of central and northern Hampshire in the same period there were 35,058 offences – a drop of just under one per cent.

Police solved 32 per cent of the total number of crimes, an increase from 28.8 per cent in 2010-2011.

Chief Supt Mark Chatterton, area commander, said: “My officers and staff continue to work tirelessly to catch criminals and solve crime.

“We have seen improvements in the number of crimes we are solving and a reduction in the number of crimes being committed across our large patch of Hampshire.

“We continue to be victim-focused. Offences such as criminal damage and other anti-social crime can have a huge effect on people’s quality of life and we do not underestimate that. Every victim of every crime is important.

He added: “While there is much to be proud of, we do realise there are areas we need to work on. We will continue our focus on burglary – assisted by the force-wide Operation Nemesis campaign, and also focus our efforts on addressing district-specific issues which really affect local communities."