It was the first year figures were collected on knife crime, which includes offences involving sharp instruments and wounding with intent, robbery, grievous bodily harm and attempted murder, but not murder.

There were 67 knife crimes in Norfolk, 100 in Cambridgeshire and 289 in Essex. Nationally, there were 22,151 such offences.

Police say that while the number of drug and sexual offences have gone up, this reflects proactive policing.

The figures, taken from the British Crime Survey (BCS) and crimes recorded by police in 2007/08, show a fall in crime of 5.4 per cent in Suffolk, with 48,330 crimes recorded.

That represents a drop of 9.5 per cent or 5,100 fewer crimes than in 2003/04, when the present system of recording came into effect.

The detection rate has also risen by more than two per cent, to 30.2 per cent – 14,594 crimes were solved, 271 more than in 2006/07. Nationally, the detection rate is 28 per cent.

Violent crime fell by 6.8 per cent, vehicle crime by 9.7 per cent, vandalism by 6.7 per cent and burglary by two per cent.

The number of house burglaries rose by 4.6 per cent, 78 offences, but police say this is still 26 per cent lower than in 2003/04.

Although drug offences have increased by 5.8 per cent and sexual offences are up by 5.7 per cent, police say it is down to a proactive approach.

The figures also show you are less likely to become a victim of crime in Suffolk than elsewhere – men aged 16-24 have a 3.2 per cent chance of becoming a victim of crime in the county, compared to 13 per cent nationally.

Suffolk Chief Constable Simon Ash said: "I am extremely pleased with this set of performance figures. They show a sustained, long-term improvement in the safety of Suffolk and reflect the dedication and commitment the officers and staff of the constabulary have shown during a particularly challenging period."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here to go back to our main news index.