Published: Wednesday, 1st July, 2009 3:26pm

Dramatic fall in crime in Wee County

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CRIME in Clackmannanshire has dropped significantly over the past 12 months.

And police now say the chances of becoming a victim of crime in the Wee County are 'very low".

Compared to the 2007/8 statistics, this year"s Central Scotland Police annual report shows a reduction of 12 per cent in recorded crimes across Clackmannanshire.

The Chief Constable Kevin Smith said, 'It is a good news story. Hopefully people will see the past 12 months as a positive for the force - but there will be no complacency on our part.'

The Chief Constable noted that across all five main categories of recorded crime, the reduction in Clackmannanshire was greater than in the Falkirk or Stirling areas.

Superintendent Andrew Price, the area commander for Clackmannanshire, told the Advertiser, 'The performance during 2008/9 locally was good, building on the previous year.

'The chances of becoming a victim of serious violent crime are very low. There is crime, but when we look at the numbers against the population it is very small - and it is reducing.'

Mr Price said that particularly significant, and satisfying, was the decrease in the number of crimes of violence.

In Clackmannanshire, crimes of violence decreased by 25 per cent on those recorded for the same period last year.

The figures for the Wee County also show that crimes involving indecency, including rape and indecent assault, are down 70 per cent.

Crimes of dishonesty, such as housebreakings and thefts from vehicles, dropped five per cent, while malicious mischief incidents, including vandalism, are down eight per cent.

Other crimes - which include drugs and bail offences - fell by 20 per cent.