CRIME in West Yorkshire rose last year.
The annual number of offences was up slightly, but crime fell every month in the six months ending March 31.
The rise was due to changes in the way crimes are recorded.
But there were big falls in burglaries and vehicle crime.
The six-monthly fall was led by Deputy Chief Constable Phil Brear and Assistant Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell.
Some areas had their lowest monthly totals for over five years.
Monthly burglary figures for West Yorkshire dipped below 2,000 in March and robberies were down to 233 for the same month.
Over the year as a whole, robbery was down 24%, burglaries fell 17% and vehicle crime was down 15%.
Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn said: "It is an outstanding achievement for the force.
"It is a direct reflection of the extra effort and extra resources that have been put into front- line policing as the year progressed."
Mr Brear said: "The real challenge is to continue those reductions throughout the year."
The total crime figure rose less than 1%, from 322,794 offences in 2002/03 to 325,556 for the year 2003/04.
But February and March this year saw the lowest monthly figures for the whole period.
Mr Brear added: "The total crime figure fails to reflect the scale of our achievement.
"We are still adjusting to the new national crime counting rules, that have trebled and even quadrupled the number of street incidents we must now record as crimes."
