CRIME levels in Uttlesford continued to fall last year, being significantly below the national average. Between April 2005 and March 2006 overall levels of crime steady fell, from 1187 between April and June 2005 to 981 between January and March 2006. The

CRIME levels in Uttlesford continued to fall last year, being significantly below the national average.

Between April 2005 and March 2006 overall levels of crime steady fell, from 1187 between April and June 2005 to 981 between January and March 2006.

The total number of offences recorded for the year was 4458, equivalent to 63.3 recorded crimes per 1000 people in Uttlesford.

This compares to a national average over the same period of 103.1 offences per 1000 people in England and Wales.

Crime levels in Essex also fell, putting the county amongst the safest to live in across the country.

Det Chief Supt Wil Kennedy, said that the release of the statistics from the Home Office showed that Essex Police officers were maintaining a good record in fighting crime in the county.

"These figures demonstrate Essex is leading the way in many areas of crime-fighting work and so it's very pleasing to see that the county remains one of the very safest in England," he said.

"Residents in Essex should feel assured and reassured that we are committed to making further inroads into crime.

"The neighbourhood policing teams are continuing to offer residents the opportunity to help us take more criminals off the streets and this is reflected in these latest figures."

Between April 2005 and March 2006 there were a total of 132,378 crimes recorded in Essex, which has a population of 1,635,600 people.

This is the equivalent of 81 offences per 1,000 people in the county, a favourable figure when compared to the 103.1 offences per 1,000 people in England and Wales during the year.

The 70,400 people living in Uttlesford are living in the area with the fourth-least number of recorded crimes out of Essex's 14 districts.

Harlow district saw the most recorded crimes per 1,000 residents between April 2005 and March 2006, with 122.8 in the year - almost twice as many as there were in Uttlesford.