CRIME levels in Darlington looks set to fall slightly this year, Police and Crime Commissioner has claimed, with the town appearing to buck the wider County Durham trend.

Mr Hogg gave his regular update on policing in Darlington to a full meeting of Darlington Borough Council, where he said the increase in shoplifting continued to be a cause for concern.

In his update, Mr Hogg said figures for Darlington showed that a two per cent drop in the level of recorded crime was likely by the end of the financial year, which he said was better than the force-wide projections.

Other statistics showed that the number of reported crimes in the town this month had dropped by 11 per cent compared to January last year.

He added: “Detection rates in Darlington are also slightly better compared to the wider area, at 41 per cent compared to 40 per cent, but in January so far officers have reached a 46 per cent detection rate.

“There has been a one per cent increase in the number of house burglaries – the actual number of properties being burgled is very low but that is still a cause for concern.

“The main cause for concern is shoplifting, which is up 24 per cent across County Durham.

“However, the increase is six per cent in Darlington, which shows how much work is being done here between police officers, shops and other agencies.”

In presenting figures for thefts from motor vehicles, which he said had gone down by 16 per cent, he made a plea to vehicle owners to be more mindful of security.

“More than 50 per cent of vehicles targeted for thefts are not broken into, they are left unlocked,” he said.

“Can I please make a plea to the public to make sure their cars are locked so they are not making it easier for criminals.”

Mr Hogg also gave an update on consultation for his next Crime Plan and said two key issues kept coming up from members of the public - child sexual exploitation and cyber crime.

He added: “We are still operating under real financial constraints, which is why I am looking to raise the police precept by 1.9 per cent to bring in an extra half a million pounds.

“We have had no objections to that submitted during the consultation process and we will take that suggestion to the crime panel.”