CRIME is set to rise in North Yorkshire in the next year - because of the way the figures are being recorded.

North Yorkshire Police has introduced a new method of recording crimes in line with new national standards.

These will mean that records of crimes are now made based on victims' reports, rather than requiring evidence that they have taken place, as they were previously.

The force says the introduction of this new standard is likely to increase overall recorded crime levels by at least 15 per cent, with the largest increases in categories like criminal damage and common assault.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Lynch, head of CID, said: "This is an attempt to standardise crime recording so that more accurate comparisons can be made between forces, and to draw police crime figures more into line with Home Office National Crime Surveys.

"Most forces are waiting until April before introducing the new system, but because our computerised Incident Recording system had recently been audited by the Home Office and found to be reliable, we were in a position to begin in January.

"The likely increase in recorded crime is nothing to be afraid of ,but will represent an artificial increase caused by the change in recording practices. Independent research through the British Crime Survey shows that actual crime levels, both nationally and within North Yorkshire are falling, and have been doing so for at least the last five years. In the long term we expect this trend to continue."

Updated: 10:46 Thursday, January 24, 2002