CRIME in the Ribble Valley has dropped significantly in the last five years, new figures reveal.

But despite the drop, Clitheroe police chiefs have urged people to remain vigilant in the constant fight against crime.

Sgt Rob Evans, of Clitheroe police, said certain times of crime had dropped by more than 50 per cent since 2002.

For the Clitheroe area, which takes in the town and surrounding villages such as Gisburn, Mellor, Samlesbury and Slaidburn, burglaries for 2007 are projected to hit a total of 200.

This a 40 per cent drop from five years ago when there were 334 burglaries throughout the entire year.

Vehicle crime has dropped from 292 incidents to 130 over the same period, a 55 per cent reduction, while violent crime has fallen by 10 per cent from 278 cases in 2002 to a figure that police believe will be around 250 by the end of next month.

And Sgt Evans said while the drop in crime was a major plus, there was still much that could be done to reduce it even further.

He said: "The figures are really pleasing. Crime is at one of its lowest ever levels in the Ribble Valley and it is a safe place to go out in, to live in, and is safe in terms of being a victim of crime.

"But, we still get offences were people leave vehicles insecure or leave sat navs, bags or other items on show, making them easy pickings.

"People need to work with us and not be complacent.

"Even if they are going out at night I urge them to leave a light on, or use lights on a setting because it puts potential burglars off.

"At the police station we have stocks of ultraviolet pens to mark items with and we can mark cycles for people so if they do go missing they are easier to identify.

"Twenty per cent of vehicle robberies come when the vehicle is left unlocked or with a window down and people need to be aware of the problems this can cause."