CHIEF Constable Charles Pollard says officers are slashing crime by eight per cent this year - even though they are preoccupied with the Hillgrove Farm protest.
Mr Pollard revealed last night the number of burglaries throughout Thames Valley, including Oxfordshire, has been cut by 25 per cent, with robberies also down.
These figures have been achieved even though dozens of officers spend nearly every weekend policing protesters outside Hillgrove Farm cat breeding centre, in Minster Lovell, near Witney.
He said: "This year we are on course for a further eight per cent reduction in recorded crime. If you take the last four years or so, together we have reduced crime by 22 per cent - that is a huge reduction."
Mr Pollard spoke at the annual Thames Valley Police Federation meeting at Cowley.
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