POLICE have claimed that car crime in the county is falling - despite a report which says rates are the highest in the country.

The study by the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association said car crime was higher in Lancashire than in any other area.

And it said 37 per cent of the county's residents were worried about car crime - the second highest number nationally.

But a spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "Car crime in Lancashire has shown signs of decreasing over the last year thanks to a number of factors including the increasing use of CCTV systems in town centres, more secured car parks, higher awareness on the part of the public about the scale of the problem and the Crimestoppers SMART campaign in Preston and Blackpool. "The fear of crime is something the force is very anxious to address. The survey is not specific as to what especially concerned people in Lancashire about car crime, although we suspect that those with the greatest fear of it may be commuters who park their vehicles outside the county area in Greater Manchester or Merseyside."

The spokesman said there were a number of schemes in the pipeline involving partnerships between local police, councils, Chambers of Trade and other parties aimed at making life even more difficult for the car criminal. But he added: "We must remind all responsible motorists of the part they can play by ensuring their car has a good alarm system, that vehicles are parked responsibly and that valuables are never left in the vehicle."

Figures for 1997/98 showed there were 18,187 cases of theft from vehicles in Lancashire - a decrease of 1,889 on the previous year, and 3,523 cases of unauthorised taking of vehicles, a drop of 320. Thefts of motor vehicles hose by 119 to 4,403.

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