Crime levels in Lancashire fell higher than the average national rate, according to official figures released today.
The Home Office figures show that crime fell by 8.6 per cent in Lancashire in the last 12 months to September compared to the previous year, however below the north west region average of 11 per cent.
The area suffered 104,525 crimes during the year – a drop of 9,795 compared to the same period the year before.
This figure compares to the national reduction average of seven per cent.
The figures – published every quarter – reveal there was an average of 72 crimes committed for every one thousand people in the area.
This is four below the national average of 76 with Greater Manchester having 91 and London having the highest rate with 109 for every thousand people.
Some individual categories of crime have seen significant reductions, with burglary down by 11.9 per cent, meaning 594 households being spared the misery of crime.
Offences against vehicles are also down 14.4 per cent - 1,624 fewer victims - while violence against the person is down 5.9 per cent - 1,383 fewer victims.
However the number of sexual offences increased by 13.9 per cent – up 285 to 1,459.
Police say this is in part to a change in recording practices nationally an increased confidence of victims to report crimes.
Unveiling the statistics, Home Secretary Theresa May announced the responsibility to publish crime figures would be taken away from the Home Office and handed to an independent body to increase public confidence in them.
She also announced an independent review of how crime figures were collected and compared.
Commenting on the figures, chief constable Steve Finnigan said: "Lancashire has always been known for high performance and as these figures show, this remains the case.
"Crime levels are currently extremely low, making this county one of the safest places in the country to live and work; a fact that I hope reassures our local communities.
"Police and partner agencies work hard to keep the county safe, and I am delighted that these efforts appear to have paid off, with almost 10,000 people being spared the misery of becoming victims of crime. "
Mr Finnigan urged the public, and partner agencies, to continue to work with Lancashire Constabulary to keep crime levels low.
He added: "We are committed to keeping crime low, and assistance from the public and partner agencies will be crucial if we are to do this, particularly during the current period of austerity, which will bring with it unprecedented change.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their help to date, and to urge them to continue to support us in our efforts to keep the county safe."
Malcolm Doherty, chair of Lancashire Police Authority, said: "These figures show that even in these challenging times, the crimes that people tell us matter most to them are being tackled.
"The priority at the current time is the preservation of a policing service that meets the needs of our communities and keeps them safe. These excellent performance figures illustrate that everyone is working very hard to achieve this."
