CRIME is down virtually across the board in West Yorkshire, according to new figures.

West Yorkshire Police yesterday said there was an 8% overall drop in offences in the year to September 2010 compared with the previous year.

Violence and robbery dropped 8%, as did vehicle crime. Burglaries fell 5%.

Deputy Chief Constable David Crompton admitted budget cuts would lead to some “tough choices.”

But he added: “We are certain of one thing – despite budget cuts, our focus will remain on the sharp end, in tackling criminals and protecting the people of West Yorkshire.”

The West Yorkshire figures were released as the British Crime Survey (BCS) showed the year-on-year number of crimes nationally fell by 5%, from 9.9million to 9.4million to last September.

Levels of violent crime and burglary remained about the same.

According to recorded crime statistics, crime fell 7%, fuelled by a drop in every category apart from sexual offences, which rose 7%.

In the Kirklees division, there have been about 1,400 fewer crimes since April last year compared to the same period the previous year.