POLICE have said they need to tackle the fear of crime in North Yorkshire, following the release of crime figures.

Despite the county having one of the lowest rates of crime nationwide, research suggests that people's perceived fear of crime needs to be reduced

"What is noticeable is that people's fear of crime remains higher than the actual crime figures would appear to suggest," said the vice-chairman of North Yorkshire Police Authority, Jim Fender.

"We still live in one of the lowest crime areas in the country and we need to work harder at getting people to understand and appreciate this."

The crime figures showed increases in vandalism, common assault and theft in certain areas.

While 67,798 crimes were recorded between April 2002 and March this year, compared with 59,149 the previous year, there have been significant improvements such as a decrease in burglary.

Mr Fender said: "The signs look good. Crime is down 4.1 per cent in the first two months of 2003 and the county can expect to reap the benefits of greater numbers of officers on the beat.

"Chief Constable Della Cannings has been given additional resources this year which should enable her to make a real impact on crime levels. The authority is sure that the local community will support her in that goal.