DURHAM’S Police and Crime Commissioner has welcomed latest policing figures which show a 15 per cent reduction in reported crime.

The end of year figures reveal that more than 4,000 fewer people across County Durham and Darlington have been victims of crime compared to the previous year.

Between April 1, 2012, and March 31 this year, 30,090 crimes were reported to police compared to 35,260 in the previous 12-months.

Victim-based crimes, which include violent attacks, sexual offences, stealing and criminal damage, reduced by 14 per cent, meaning there were 4,506 fewer victims.

The region’s Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg met with Durham Police’s Chief Constable Mike Barton on Wednesday to discuss the results.

He said: “This is great news and these performance figures are extremely impressive.

“I hope that the residents of County Durham and Darlington are reassured to know that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe.

“We are committed to keeping crime low and these figures show that Durham Constabulary is continuously improving and addressing the needs of our communities.

Chief Constable Mike Barton added: “The fall in reported crime is good news all around, especially for victims, but we are never complacent and our communities can be confident our efforts to reduce crime even further will continue unabated.”

The figures also revealed that anti-social behaviour has reduced by 27 per cent and there have been 67 fewer hate crime incidents than the previous year.