Number of violent crimes reported on Teesside drops by more than 500

Latest figures show that Cleveland Police recorded an overall reduction in recorded crime of 1.4%

The number of violent crimes on Teesside has dropped - with more than 500 fewer reported incidents in the last year.

Cleveland Police has again seen a slight drop in recorded crime as a whole - with a 1.4% reduction.

Violent crime was the biggest improvement with a drop of 7.8%.

In total there were 6,092 reports of violent crimes on Teesside between April 2013 and March 2014 - including 3,597 with injury.

This is a drop of 514 reported incidents from the previous year when there were 6,606 reports of violent crime.

The figures were released by Cleveland Police.

They come after annual data from NHS hospitals released by Cardiff University showed that there was a 12% fall in injuries from violent incidents in 2013 in England and Wales.

Despite an overall drop in crime for Cleveland Police, the number of reports of rape offences increased by 17% - with 30 more reports of the sexual offence than the previous year.

In total there were 204 reported rapes in the Cleveland Police force area last year. Shoplifting has also risen with 366 more incidents reported in the last year.

In total Cleveland Police received 5,365 reports of shoplifting between April 2013 and March 2014. The previous year’s figure was 4,999.

Deputy Chief Constable Iain Spittal said: “To bring about a small reduction in crime, faced with the level of financial challenge and organisational change experienced over the last year, is extremely positive.

“We have had some good reductions in a number of crime categories including burglary and violent crime.

“Our officers, staff, and our police partner staff have worked tirelessly during the course of the year to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and to make a difference.

“Our priority for next year is to make our communities safer.

“We will achieve this by protecting people, protecting property and tackling serious and organised crime.

“I know that we have further challenges to face over the coming years but I have every confidence that the people who make up Cleveland Police will continue to work with partners and local residents to make our communities safer.”