FIGURES for the last 12 months have revealed that overall crime in the borough has risen by 3.4 per cent.

Between April 2001 and the end of March this year, a total of 22,149 crimes were recorded in the Bury Division, compared to 21,420 the previous year.

Incidents of serious woundings, robberies, and thefts from people have all increased.

But it is not all bad news. Last year's divisional target to slash the number of burglaries, car crimes and drug offences has paid off with all related categories enjoying significant decreases.

With Bury's officer strength at an all time high, the detection rate has increased slightly, just less than half per cent, with just under one-fifth of all reported incidents solved.

There were 119 serious woundings, 1,462 lesser woundings, 434 thefts from people, 277 arson attacks, 4,625 incidents of criminal damage and 1,031 shoplifting reports.

House burglaries were down by nearly 12 per cent to 2,093, thefts of vehicles numbered 2,055, a decrease of 16 per cent, and 127 rapes or indecent assaults on women.

Bury still retains its title as the borough with the lowest number of recorded crimes in Greater Manchester. Ashton has the next best figure of 27,713 with South Manchester suffering the worst crime rate with 51,083 incidents reported to the police.

With Bury's crime rate increasing by 3.4 per cent, Greater Manchester as a whole has seen the overall crime level rise by 4.8 per cent.

Chief Superintendent Phil Hollowood described the latest crime figures as "disappointing" but stressed that the police and Bury's Community Safety Partnership (CSP) had more work to do.

He said: "While any increase in crime is of course disappointing for the Community Safety Partnership, Bury's 3.4 per cent increase compared favourably with the average in Greater Manchester where crime is up 4.8 per cent. Some other divisions within Greater Manchester Police have suffered recorded crime increase as high as ten per cent."

Mr Hollowood, who is the joint chairman of the CSP, added: "Bury's CSP priority over the last twelve months was to reduce house burglaries, car crime and drug offences. The figures show that this has been achieve and we are delighted."