CRIME has fallen in Derwentside.

Instances of recorded crime for April to June fell year on year from 1,744 to 1,579. The detection rate is about 30 per cent.

Police fielded 6,476 calls, up from 6,288 last year.

Drugs offences rose by 61 per cent, from 34 last year to 55 this year, but Chief Inspector Dave Hogg said: "This does not mean that we have had a massive increase in this activity.

"We believe that drugs have a massive impact on other crime and we have focused on it. The total number of drug arrests is up from 35 to 47."

He said the detection rate for shed burglaries was "woefully inadequate" at four per cent, but said the overall number of offences dropped by 14 per cent.

Complaints of anti-social behaviour fell by 11 per cent, from 666 last year to 586.

Recent police initiatives against youths causing a nuisance in Consett yielded results.

Leadgate and Delves Lane, which have recently seen high levels of youth disorder reports, have seen a marked reduction after a police crackdown but the problem has grown worse in Dipton, near Stanley.

Sergeant Andy McConnell said: "Over the last few weeks, there has been an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour in the Dipton area.

"It is not a huge problem, but it is unacceptable and we are trying to stamp it out."

Crime in Consett dropped by 22 per cent in the past fortnight, while Blackhill showed a drop of 45 per cent. Reports in Stanley were down 30pc.

Vehicle crime is up slightly, but year on year, is down by 30 per cent. Langley Park saw a rise, with five cars stolen in Lillian Terrace, Larch Terrace, Ash Street and Elm Street.

Nicola Beckingham, Derwentside crime analyst, said: "While we are very pleased with the fact that we have a 50 per cent reduction in vehicle crime overall, we are still unhappy with the volume committed in Langley Park and we will concentrate our efforts there."