BURGLARS blitzed by a new clampdown committed 1,500 fewer break-ins in Lancashire during the last year.

Latest figures contained in the draft Lancashire Police Authority annual report have confirmed an 8.5 per cent fall in house burglaries in the 12 months to the end of March.

The fall has accelerated after figures for the 12 months to June 96 showed a 0.76 per cent rise in domestic burglaries and figures for 1996 as a whole showed a fall of 2.84 per cent.

The reductions have coincided with a new, intelligence-led approach to tackling crime, with officers targeting known offenders and using computers to analyse crime patterns and help predict where crimes are likely to be committed.

The detection rate of domestic burglaries has fallen from 38.3 per cent in 1995/96 to 32.9 per cent in 1996/97, despite a police drive to increase detections.

But the annual report states: "It should be remembered that when the number of offences fall, achieving high levels of detection becomes more difficult. "The next 12 months will provide opportunities to continue the development of expertise in the use of surveillance and information technology.

"If this is supported by local initiatives, the authority is confident that performance improvements will result."

The annual report shows a fall in violent crime compared to 1995/96 but incidents are still higher than the previous year.

The number of violent crimes committed in the county is still one of the lowest in the country and the report says the increase in offences in recent years may be down to increased public confidence in the police, particularly in relation to domestic violence.

Police have increased breath tests by 43 per cent, from 19,520 in 1995/96 to 27,328 in 1996/97, with the number proving positive falling from 14 per cent to 12 per cent.

But the number of injury road accidents rose to 6,416 - 16 a day - from 6,094, despite the force commitment to reduce road traffic accidents by a third before the year 2000.

The draft report is to be considered by a meeting of the police authority on Thursday.

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