THE West Yorkshire Police force is one of the most improved in the country.
Performance assessments published by the Home Office and the Inspectorate of Constabulary for all 43 forces show the force has improved or maintained its performance in areas including crime reduction and investigation, along with local policing.
The force achieved significant reductions in crime.
Between April last year and March, 2006, there were 4,647 fewer crimes committed when compared to the previous 12 months.
Also, detection rates rose.
The force achieved an 'excellent' rating in crime investigation and frontline policing, along with specialist operational support.
Work to pro-actively target offenders and criminal gangs operating across the county has been highlighted.
Also singled out for praise is the force's work to reduce robbery and life-threatening and gun-related crime.
It is also leading the development of regional responses to deal with terrorism and serious and organised crime.
The Inspectorate's Baseline Assessment Report is designed to reflect the breadth and range of policing.
Meanwhile, the Police Performance Assessments Report puts statistical information into the context of a comparison between similar forces.
West Yorkshire acting Chief Constable Julia Hodson said: "These outstanding results are testament to the hard work of police officers and police staff led by Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn.
"We are not complacent. We thrive on challenge. We are building on the hard work of the last four years and have our sights firmly set on the criminals who strike at the heart of our local communities."
West Yorkshire Police Authority's chairman, Clr Mark Burns-Williamson, which oversees policing on behalf of local people, said: "Every category of policing measured has maintained or improved."
THE ranking, in ascending order, is as follows:
3 POINTS Humberside, Northamptonshire
4 POINTS: Nottinghamshire
5 POINTS Lincolnshire
7 POINTS Bedfordshire, Cleveland, Warwickshire
8 POINTS Cheshire
9 POINTS Greater Manchester, Gwent, Norfolk
10 POINTS Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, South Wales, Suffolk, Wiltshire
11 POINTS Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Kent
12 POINTS Avon and Somerset, Essex, Hampshire, Merseyside, Metropolitan Police, South Yorkshire, Sussex, West Midlands
13 POINTS Durham, Leicestershire, North Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Mercia
14 POINTS City of London, Dorset, Dyfed-Powys, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, North Wales, Surrey, West Yorkshire
17 POINTS Northumbria
18 POINTS Staffordshire.
