CRIME in West Oxfordshire has dropped by 12 per cent over the past year.

The number of crimes fell from 5,194 in 2009-10 to 4,569 in 2010-11, a drop of 625.

But burglary is on the rise in the district, jumping almost 25 per cent in the same period, from 150 to 187.

Chief Inspector Colin Paine, Thames Valley Police’s area commander, said he was “delighted” with the figures.

There was no murder or attempted murder last year and one less case of wounding and grievous bodily harm, with 19 recorded incidents in 2010.

Serious acquisitive crime, including robbery and vehicle crime, was down by six to 518.

Mr Paine said: “I am delighted to be able to say that these figures underline what a safe place West Oxfordshire is to live in. I am particularly pleased to see a general trend of decline in antisocial behaviour.

“In February alone, there were 83 fewer recorded incidents compared with the same period the previous year. This is due to our sustained work in this area.

“Although there has been great progress made, we clearly have work to do in reducing burglary and I am determined to make progress in this area.”