POLICE and community leaders in Derwentside have been celebrating a major drop in the crime rate.

Crime in Derwentside fell by 15 per cent between April and October this year compared to the same period last year.

That compares with a drop of 8.6 per cent in all crime across County Durham, making Derwentside one of the most improved areas in the county.

Division crime manager at Consett police station, Det Chief Insp Ron Vine, attributed the reductions to a number of factors but especially to the fact that more members of the public were alerting the police to problems.

He said: "We have a very, very good relationship with the public and it is improving all the time. The multi-agency approach to crime is all part of that and it has proved a big success. Working with community groups and the council helps us to identify problems.

"There's also good detective work and the fact that we have put some certain people behind bars. The other factor is the CCTV cameras in key areas."

Leader of Derwentside District Council Alex Watson praised the work of the Derwentside Community Safety Strategy Group, which provides a forum for the police, district council and community groups.

As part of the group's drive to improve relations with youngsters in the area he has twice had gangs of youths brought into his office to talk to them.

He said: "We set up the strategy group some time before the Government required us to do so and it is having some effect. It enables people to talk to each other and problems can sometimes be sorted out that way. For example we have worked with both youngsters and older people who often complain about them to try to resolve problems."

The latest crime statistics for Derwentside show:

l burglaries from dwellings fell from 201 to 151

l the number of cars stolen fell from 275 to 224

l thefts from vehicles fell from 468 to 315

l violent crime from 617 to 548

l sex offences from 32 to 27

l reports of youths causing annoyance from 1,520 to 1,259.