LANCASHIRE police officers spend more time on the beat than behind their desks, according to figures released by the Audit Commission.

The report, on Police Performance Indicators, reveals that the county's law enforcers spend 59 per cent of their duty on the streets, six per cent more than the national average. And the number of the county's police officers available for duty, per 1,000 population, has increased by four per cent.

Chief Constable Pauline Clare said she was pleased with most of the report's statistics.

She added: "We have gone through a major programme of change in the last year, with the aim of creating a much more flexible organisation, willing and able to respond to the diverse and varying needs of the communities we serve.

"Our intention has always been to put more officers back on the streets and these indicators now show that we are beginning to succeed."

Lancashire also fared well in response times, meeting the target time of 15 minutes in 97 per cent of cases. Crime, per 1,000 population, fell by six per cent during the year.

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