RECORDED crime is continuing to fall across Devon and Cornwall, new figures released last week show.

Crime up until June 30 shows a 5.6% reduction on the same period in 2014 — 4,742 fewer crimes.

Victim-based reported crimes reduced by 6.2% with further reductions in burglary (down 12.4%), vehicle crime (down 9.3%), criminal damage (down 8%) and theft (down 10.4%).

During the same period, reported crime in Devon is down 7.5%, (3,111 fewer crimes), Cornwall down 6.3%, (1,503 fewer crimes) and Plymouth down 0.8%, (144 fewer crimes).

The figures were released on the same day as historic data from the Office of National Statistics, which showed crime in the force had reduced by 5.8% to the end of March this year, compared to the same period in 2014.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton said: ‘The updated figures released are encouraging and testament to the work going on across the force to reduce crime and make our communities safer.

‘It should be noted that this is only one measure of police performance and only gives a small snapshot of what we do as a constabulary and with our many partner agencies.

‘Crime accounts for only around 20 percent of the work we do and figures like this don’t take into account the many other things we do to protect our communities and deal with threat, risk and harm across all walks of life.

‘Detecting and preventing harm, working closer than ever with partners to safeguard communities, providing a high quality of service to our public and ensuring we are a professional and ethical force are all things we are striving to achieve.

‘While it is very pleasing to see crime remaining low and Devon and Cornwall as the fifth safest place to live and work in the country, dealing effectively with things which often don’t result in a crime being re-coded remains critical to us.’

Last week also saw the latest workforce strength figures released from the Office of National Statistics.

These showed that Devon and Cornwall has 3,068 full time equivalent post police officers in the force up to March 31 2015, compared to 3,096 in 2014 — a reduction of less than 1%.

During the same period police staff numbers have reduced from 1,683 to 1,632 — down 3% — and PCSO numbers have reduced from 673 to 627 — a reduction of 7%.

Members of the Special Constabulary have increased from 627 to 673 – more than 7%.

ACC Netherton added: ‘Maintaining a visible front line of policing has been difficult in the current financial climate of austerity, but working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, our numbers have remained largely unaffected in the last year.

‘That doesn’t mean that we are not having to change what we do and how we do things across all of our neighbourhoods and communities.

‘Falling crime does not mean a fall in demand for police officers and staff and the landscape of policing work is ever shifting to cover more complex areas.

‘Whether this be mental health, child sexual exploitation or domestic abuse, many of these areas are not visible to the public – yet are a massive part of policing Devon and Cornwall in 2015.’