Violent crime in the Thames Valley Police area is rising, according to latest figures.

So too is domestic burglary -- up 17 per cent -- in statistics released yesterday (January 22) covering the period from July to September last year.

At a national level, the quarterly figures for recorded crime released by the Home Office show a 14 per cent rise in violent crime, and upward trends in sexual offences, criminal damage and the use of replica guns.

Overall, crime increased by one per cent in the Thames Valley last summer, compared to the same quarter the previous year.

Serious violence against the person went up 29 per cent, from 207 to 266 cases.

However, the police said the figure included 195 incidents of threats to kill, which invariably involved people known to each other.

Supt Pete Warner, head of Thames Valley Police's performance information, said: "This rise in more serious violence should not cause undue alarm.

"If we take out the threats to kill, we are actually looking at a reduction of 18 per cent.

"Violent crime, whether serious or not, is always a concern, but the vast majority of the community will not be affected by it, as many incidents involve young men fighting each other after too much alcohol."

He said the murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and wounding rates had fallen.

Domestic burglaries in the region rose from 3,004 to 3,521 for the quarter.

But the force says its own, more up-to-date, figures show a reduction of 10 per cent.

This follows the launch last September of the Safer Homes plan, with patrol teams targeting crime hotspots and looking out for known offenders.

Ch Insp Rob Angell, who heads Safer Homes, said: "Reducing the number of burglaries is a considerable challenge, but we are making progress."