Crime has fallen again in York as police tighten the screw on burglars, thieves and violent offenders.

Superintendent Jim Kilmartin has revealed that crime overall fell by 3.25 per cent in 1998/99.

Car thefts were down 22 per cent, from 1,428 in 1997/98 to 1,115 last year, with thefts from unattended cars falling by 18 per cent - a reduction of 630 offences.

And there were smaller reductions in cycle thefts (4.3 per cent) and domestic burglaries (1.3 per cent, from 2,266 to 2,236), with the burglary detection rate increasing by 6 per cent.

But the most spectacular achievement came in the detection rate for violent crime, such as assaults, woundings and robberies, which more than doubled.

Supt Kilmartin said more than 1,300 such crimes were detected last year, compared with only 589 the previous year.

But police officers paid a high price in their determination to tackle crime last year, with 105 constables out of 185 in the York area suffering a common assault, such as violent threats, being spat on or punched. More suffered injuries as a result of being attacked.

There was a worrying 22 per cent rise in drugs arrests, from 411 to 501, with arrests resulting from searches of people increasing by 68 per cent from 91 to 153.

Supt Kilmartin said crime had fallen for the third year running, and he believed it could be reduced again, despite his recent announcement that he is to retire because of concerns about the level of resources devoted to the division.

"Policing is a team effort, and we have an excellent team at York," he said.

"The issue of resources is one that the Chief Constable has to address with the police authority."

Supt Kilmartin said a series of initiatives lay behind the fall in crime. These included new and positive partnerships with organisations such as City of York Council and city centre retailers, intelligence-led policing which targeted known criminals, and campaigns such as the Too Hot To Handle project which aimed to stamp out the handling of stolen property.

There had also been a scheme to improve the training of pub and club doormen and a theatrical project with over 15 year olds to drive home the dangers of taking cars.

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