FORENSIC evidence gathering from crime scenes in one of the region's police force areas is among the best in the country, according to statistics.

Durham Police's three dozen crime scene investigators (CSIs) and scientific administrators have helped identify nearly 3,200 criminals since October 2001, the date when key performance indicators started.

The thousands of scenes examined by the specialists ranged from murder to theft and criminal damage.

Latest statistics from the national DNA database board, published by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), reveal that Durham has one of the lowest failure rates for samples submitted for analysis.

Detective Inspector Bob Glass, head of the force's scientific support department, said: "We have submitted the right material at the right time and in the right way to get the best results from DNA.

"The ACPO statistics are a testament to the quality of what has been some brilliant teamwork by CSIs, forensic scientists, back-up administrators and the investigating officers.

"A failure rate of less than one per cent is quite amazing. These results confirm we are among the best in the country at collecting samples from crime scenes and processing them quickly and correctly.

"Our work points police investigators in the right direction and means they have a much greater chance of catching the person responsible."

In the past 22 months, the team has produced 822 DNA matches, 597 other forensic matches and 1,765 fingerprint identifications.

The Home Office has also praised the force for piloting a screening programme on convicted prisoners held in North-East jails.

Under the scheme, prisoners' DNA is taken to ensure they are on a national database.