HOUSE burglaries have risen by 26 per cent in County Durham.

New police figures show there were 4,032 break-ins reported to police in the year to March compared with 3,200 in the previous 12 months.

The increase is part of a 12.5 per cent overall rise in recorded crime that is being attributed to a new national standard for recording offences.

The new standard was introduced to bring uniformity to the various sets of statistics produced by police forces and the Government.

Chief Constable George Hedges predicted last year it would lead to Durham's crime figures, which have been steadily falling, rising by at least ten per cent.

The force's head of CID, Det Chief Supt Ian Scott, said he was disappointed at the increase in burglaries and pledged that the crime would remain a top priority.

He said the increase followed a 21 per cent in domestic break-ins last year and had various causes.

"You have to look at the patterns in offending behaviour like the reduction in vehicle crime through things like CCTV, police patrols and improved prevention.

"The criminal thinks that he has to steal, either to furnish his drug or alcohol habit. It may be a simple shift from vehicle crime to house burglaries.''

He added that offences such as stealing a bicycle from a domestic garage or bogus caller thefts were also classified as burglary.

He urged people to deter opportunistic burglars by following basic crime prevention advice such as locking doors and not leaving windows open.

Overall there were 50,290 crimes compared with 44,702 in the previous year. The detection rate was 32.6 per cent, one of the country's highest.

Violent crime rose by 19 per cent, criminal damage by 24 per cent but car crime fell by 12 per cent.

Mr Scott said: "The number of crimes has risen because, under the new standard, incidents formerly handled in another way are now being recorded.

"For example, when officers are called to the scene of a minor assault and the injured person refuses to co-operate with police, the incident would now be recorded as a crime when previously it would not have been.''