Car crime has been cut dramatically in Oxford after police set up a specialist team to target the problem.

The total number of vehicle crimes in the city, including vandalism, fell by more than 500 last year after the creation of the autocrime unit. Car thefts and break-ins dropped by almost 300.

The unit's achievement has won its officers an award from the High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

The Shrievalty Merit Team Award is presented to units in Thames Valley Police which have earned the force special credit.

First-time offenders caught by the team have been put on drug treatment and testing orders in a bid to rehabilitate them and stop them committing crimes to pay for drugs. Sgt John Clayton, who leads the team, said thefts from cars in the city centre were cut by nearly 80 per cent at a stroke when one offender, 23-year-old Wesley Jacob, was arrested.

Sgt Clayton said: "That's the effect that identifying specific offenders with addictions to heroin and crack cocaine can have."

In January, Jacob, of no fixed address, admitted seven charges of theft from vehicles and asked for 240 offences, dating back to 1996, to be taken into account when he appeared in court.

He was placed on a drug treatment and testing programme.

The autocrime unit, based at St Aldate's police station, was created in January 2001in response to a rise in car crime. Since then, such crimes have been reduced by 15 per cent. Four times more car crimes are solved in Oxford than in any other part of the Thames Valley force area.

In the past 12 months , there were 2,254 reports of stolen cars and thefts from vehicles in Oxford -- compared with 2,545 the previous year.

The total number of car crimes recorded was 4,625 -- 551 fewer than the previous year.

Sgt Clayton said: "I feel we have made a substantial impact in the fight against autocrime in the city, despite being a small team of four people.

"It has given us a great deal of pride that our area commander, senior officers, the Chief Constable, and High Sheriffs recognise the work we have done reducing car crime and with drug offenders." He said about 30 per cent of car crimes were solved in Oxford. The detection rate for theft from cars is 36 per cent.

Over the past year, officers who have spent time in the team included Sgt Clayton, Wpc Sian Jones, Wpc Beth Walton, Pc Eric Meldrum, Wpc Sarah Hancock, Dc Steve Jones, Dc Roger Lamboll and Dc Mark Ponting.

Chief Supt David McWhirter, area commander of Oxford police, said: "It's always a difficult decision to make about who to nominate and under what circumstance. "But this police area now enjoys a detection rate for auto crime which is approximately four times higher than any other area within Thames Valley and I felt that was so exceptional it merited recognition."

The autocrime team shared the Shrievalty Merit Team Award with Thames Valley Police's Explosive Ordnance Department.

The department was recognised for investigating suspect packages and anthrax alerts in the wake of the September 11 in the United States, and the consistently high quality of its work during state visits and at events such as the Royal Ascot race meeting and the Henley Regatta.