VIOLENT crime has risen by 50 per cent -- with changes in recording methods being blamed once more.

But burglaries and vehicle crime in the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, fell to all-time lows in figures released today.

Overall crime in the division, for the period April 2003 to March 2004, increased by nine per cent because of the 1,655 extra violent crimes.

Detective Superintendent Mike Barton said the violent crime increase was due to complying with the National Crime Recording Standard, which is designed to ensure different forces' performance can be compared.

The past year is the first time Lancashire has used the standard, however next year the figures should have levelled out.

Mr Barton added: "We used to record anti-social behaviour as an incident rather than a crime and police didn't take it as seriously as we do now.

"But we now record anti-social behaviour like threatening people or harassment as violent crime, rather than an incident.

"This doesn't mean we are having more cases, it just means we are putting them on a different computer."

He also revealed that admissions of people assaulted to local hospitals had remained the same.

In addition, the British Crime Survey, which has measured people's experience of crime in the same way for two decades, shows that violent crime is down three per cent in figures also released today.

But Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said police could not go on blaming statistics for a "serious problem".

He added: "The people of Lancashire who are suffering from the rise in violent crime need action, not excuses."

Burnley MP Peter Pike added: "I think there is some truth in what the police are saying. However, violent crime is a major concern to many and it is an issue which needs to be addressed."

But Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "This rise in violent crime is due to a change in the way figures are collated.

"Crime is falling in my constituency and in Lancashire."

Mr Barton added that he was concerned about the rising number of homicides, and said: "The major inquiries like the cockle picking tragedies have taken police officers away from Blackburn and Burnley, where the local people would get good benefits in tackling anti-social behaviour.

"But there is no way around it because we need to do both."

Some 27 per cent of crimes in Lancashire were detected, four per cent above the national average.