Crime figures have shown an overall drop of ten per cent over the last few years, a new survey has revealed.

Statistics published yesterday (TUES) show the number of burglaries which took place last year were down by 21 per cent on 1997 and at their lowest level since 1991. Vehicle-related crime has dropped by 15 per cent.

The Home Office's 2000 British Crime Survey also showed a 14 per cent increase in robberies and a four per cent rise in thefts from the person since the survey was last carried out. Nineteen thousand people were interviewed for the survey, which is held every two years.

Chief supt Ralph Perry, of Thames Valley Police, said the public could be confident the crime trends were reflected across the force area, which includes Oxfordshire. He said: "These figures are very much a mirror of what is going on in Thames Valley and that is really good news.

"There is nothing in Thames Valley that is dramatically different to the survey. We are already seeing some significant decreases in burglaries for the first six months of this year."

He said people should also be heartened by the survey's findings that people living in rural areas were significantly less likely to suffer burglary or vehicle-related crime than those in cities.