A CITY'S success in cutting crime levels has been put down to a community effort, including the assistance of a canine recruit.

Police in Durham say crime is falling, thanks in part to the input of a local community partnership.

The City of Durham Community Safety Strategy consists of several bodies, including the police, and city and county councils, working together to combat crime and anti-social behaviour.

Measures such as a sniffer dog, following Government funding in July, played a part in curbing crime.

Results so far suggest the partnership's work is having an impact on offending in Durham and surrounding villages.

Between April and September, compared with the same period last year, house burglaries fell by 23 per cent.

Break-ins at university property dropped by 32 per cent, while shop thefts fell by 28 per cent.

There was also a 44 per cent drop in vehicle thefts, with vehicle crime in car parks cut by a quarter.

Reports of anti-social behaviour also fell during the six-month period, which included the light summer nights.

Sergeant Paul Anderson, of Durham and Chester-le-Street police division, said the joint approach had begun to pay dividends.

"A lot of hard work has been put in to achieve these results.

"From the police side, we have targeted certain areas with extra patrols and worked to combat problems in known hot-spots.

"Funding from the Government Office for the North-East also helped make small retail outlets more secure against thieves."

As well as the sniffer dog, Sgt Anderson said other successful schemes includes community action by youth workers.

He said: "The falls in crime we are seeing have only been possible through good links and partnership approach."