NEW partnership initiatives and the opening of a drug addiction centre have brought a dramatic drop in crime in the Wear Valley and Teesdale districts.

Figures for the Wear and Tees police division for the three months from April to June show a 16.3 per cent fall in the crime rate, which is double the reduction for County Durham as a whole.

The division's 41 per cent cut in vehicle crime is a major success story and is the highest in the county. In Wear Valley house burglary has reduced by 25.2 per cent, criminal damage by 12 per cent and violent crime by 18 per cent.

Police have worked with councils and other agencies on a range of crimebusting initiatives. Intelligence-led operations target known offenders and hotspots.

Street wardens who patrol high crime areas also fit security measures to homes and outbuildings.

A Positive Futures co-ordinator and council Community Physical Activities co-ordinators help keep young people off the streets.

And a new youth inclusion programme in Crook and Willington has built on the success of a similar scheme in Bishop Auckland.

Because a high proportion of burglaries and petty thefts are linked to drug taking, the opening of a pioneering addiction centre in Bishop Auckland last year has been a major factor.