DESPITE decreases in resources and increases in service demand, crimes across Cleveland have dropped by 1,845 in the past year.

The annual Cleveland Police Authority report for 1999-2000 published this week, highlights a 13pc reduction in house burglaries together with a nine per cent drop in the number of auto crimes across the force during the year.

Consultation with communities to determine local police objectives has led to a reduction in the impact of drugs and the level of domestic violence. It has also provided more impetus to tackle the levels of auto-crime, violent crime and anti-social behaviour seen by most residents as priorities.

Progression has also been made to ensure victims and witnesses to crime are kept informed about police investigations.

From last April, 1,586 community consultation meetings were attended by 25,687 people while quarterly meetings held by the police authority encouraged local councils, business groups and other agencies to have their say.

Cleveland police is also the first in the UK to operate from a shared command and control centre with the ambulance service and claims to have the potential to improve response times to emergencies.

Among the many challenges the force faces this year are tackling drugs, racial issues and an initiative to build a new firearms range to train officers to the highest standards possible.