JOINT action between shop-keepers and police has helped to cut crime in a city centre.

The fall in some types of offending has been attributed to the work of Durham City Centre Action Group, an offshoot of the local community safety partnership.

Set up last year, it involves the police, city and county councils, retailers, shopworkers, Durham University Students' Union, licensees and market traders, who aim to curb crime, particularly shoplifting and late-night disorder, mainly at weekends.

New figures reveal that between April and last month, overall city centre crime fell from 884 offences to 731, a 17 per cent drop, compared to the same period last year.

During the six months, shop thefts fell by more than one-fifth, from 129 to 100, while assaults dropped by almost 30 per cent, from 187 to 131.

Undercover work, targeting known teams or individual shoplifters, has played a part in cutting crime, while the city's closed-circuit television (CCTV) network has identified known suspects coming into the main shopping areas, to give early warning to stores in the Shop Watch scheme.

Shop Watch retailers have radio equipment to alert beat officers, CCTV monitoring operators and other stores of the movements of suspects.

Photographs of convicted thieves are distributed to retailers to alert staff, and images of troublemakers are circulated to premises involved in the Pub Watch scheme.

A dedicated police response team set up to patrol the city centre on weekends has built up relations with door staff and licensees of Durham's 41 licensed premises.

Inspector Dick Dodds, action group chairman, said: "There have been great strides made in tackling retail crime and late-night disorder, and it is pleasing to see that work beginning to pay off.

"We don't pretend to have solved all the problems, but the steps taken have certainly made a big difference."