VIOLENT crime in Hampshire rose by more than the national average last year.

Hampshire saw a nine per cent rise from 38,222 offences in 2003/4 to 41,779 last year. Across the country violent crimes topped one million for the first time with 1,184,702 recorded by police in the year, up by seven per cent.

Across the board figures showed crime in total was down by three per cent in Hampshire, not as much as the national average of six per cent.

The buck in the trend is being put down to a more rigorous reporting system, according to Hampshire Constabulary.

Elsewhere the news was more positive with vehicle crime in the county down by 23 per cent from 20,561

incidents to 16,539 across the same period, compared with a national fall of 17 per cent.

House burglaries were also well down on the national average with 23 per cent fewer Hampshire householders reporting break-ins last year compared with the previous year, beating the national average of 20 per cent.

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, the figures show the lowest number of burglaries committed in the county for 30 years, a statistic welcomed by Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan. "We are reducing the numbers of people who become

victims of crime in our communities every day," he said.

Along with recorded crime figures from police forces across England and Wales the results of the British Crime Survey (BCS) were also published today.

The survey is based on interviews with 45,000 people to assess their perception of crime.

The main findings from Hampshire showed:

l Nine per cent of Hampshire residents were seriously worried about being burgled compared with the national average of 12 per cent

l 14 per cent of people were seriously worried about violent crime compared to national average of 16 per cent

l 18 per cent of people perceived there to be a high level of antisocial

behaviour compared with the national average of 17 per cent

The BCS also showed that people in Hampshire were more satisfied with their police force with 53 per cent of householders rating Hampshire police as doing a good or excellent job, compared to 49 per cent nationally.

Chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, Steve Price, said: "Hampshire has made an effort to reassure members of the public that they live in a safe area, particularly through the Safer campaigns we have been running.

"I do think that by the work we are doing we are winning back the streets. Some time ago it was said that police were wasting their time on the streets as they would only end up catching a criminal every 12 years. People listened to that. Now I think we are getting back into the grass roots."