Violent crime in East Oxford has jumped by more than 11 per cent, according to the latest police figures.

More than one violent crime took place every day between October and December last year - a total of 96 incidents compared with 86 over the same period in 2006.

However, overall crime dropped by 12.8 per cent year-on-year, burglaries by seven per cent and criminal damage by nearly 40 per cent.

East Oxford Inspector Brian Cooper said: "East Oxford is a very safe place to live and work and go out. It is only small changes in the numbers that give us a rise or a fall.

"Violent crime is on the increase - as it is in most places - and that is a worry. But it is a bit of a Catch 22 situation because a lot of violent crime is not actually reported to us.

"You can react by putting more patrols out in the evening and we have been doing that in East Oxford because of the growing night-time economy.

"But in putting more police officers out, you detect more violent crime.

"The figures have to be taken with the understanding that the more officers you put out the more you find."

The figures are due to be presented to Oxford City Council's east area parliament on Wednesday - when plans to introduce CCTV to the Cowley Road are set to be discussed.

Insp Cooper said: "A lot of the criminal damage is down to the behaviour of people going home after a late night. I would like to think that once we get CCTV on the Cowley Road it will enable us to push the officers out into the residential roads and that would come down even more."

People living and working in East Oxford had a mixed reaction to the figures.

Anthony Cheke, 63, of Hurst Street, who has lived in the area since 1979, said: "The area has always had a reputation in other parts of Oxford as being dodgy, which is not shared by those of us who live here.

"But it is disturbing that the crime rate is now going up.

"While crime overall may be going down, violent crime is what really worries people."

But Lynne Trenery, 47, of Southfield Road, and Gill Jaggers, 49, of Cricket Road, said they felt safe in the area.

Ms Jaggers said: "I have never seen anything untoward or that has caused me any concern.

"I do see more police officers than I used to and I don't feel any threat or any particular concern, for me or for my three children."

Ms Trenery said: "The visibility of police in East Oxford has really improved in the past year and I feel as safe here as anywhere in Oxford."