A Police Chief has called for the re-labelling of his force after the announcement of a fall in crime and a hike in savings.

Branded a force in crisis over recent months, Cleveland Police hit a financial black hole and had to tighten the spending belt.

But today Chief Constable Sean Price reported crime fell in the Cleveland force area by almost 6000 in the last 12 months and over the same period, savings of £10m have been achieved.

Mr Price said he now hoped the double whammy would see an end to the labelling of Cleveland Police as a struggling force.

The money figures, released yesterday, bring the force back onto an even financial keel.

"These remarkable results are a testimony to the hard work and dedication of the staff and officers.

"We will not be complacent but this is clear evidence that the Putting People First strategy is working.

"I believe the time has come to draw a line on the past and judge this force on its current performance rather than the past.

"We are neither beleaguered nor in crisis. We are a focused force determined to build on the success of the past year."

Compared to the same period the previous year, house burglaries are down by 29.7 per cent, vehicle crime is down by more than 19pc and robberies down by over 33pc.

Crime in general fell by 8pc, which equates to 5, 980 fewer victims than in the previous year, with 2000 fewer people as victims of burglary.

Mr Price added: "Whilst encouraged by the results of the past year, both myself and the Police Authority want to see crime reduced even further - that is what the people of Cleveland pay for and deserve.

"I have also made the fight against anti-social behaviour a priority for the next 12 months as I appreciate fully the affect this can have on quality of life." Almost all categories of crime have shown a fall, the only significant rise was in violent crime - a trend mirrored nationally. Echoing the celebration of the figures, Ted Cox, Chair of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "Al' those involved with the force deserve particular credit for delivering this kind of improvement against a backdrop of significant financial pressures."