LATEST crime figures show that New Forest residents live in one of the safest counties in the country.

Crime rose in Hampshire from April 2001 to March 2002 by 1.9 per cent - compared to 6.8 per cent nationally.

But in a big boost to local policing the latest statistics also revealed that Hampshire was scoring higher detection rates in burglaries and violent crime.

The burglary rate in the county is the sixth lowest in England and Wales and Hampshire scores the 11th highest detection rate in the country.

And it was a double whammy of success when it comes to violent crimes with the detection rate rising to 73.3 per cent (the ninth highest in the country) and the number of incidents falling by 2.7 per cent (nationally violent crime rose by 13.6 per cent).

Hampshire's Assistant Chief Constable, Phil Jacobs, said: "Our strategy, which targeted domestic burglary and violence, has resulted in success in the divisions.

"Looking at the wide picture, these figures show that Hampshire is one of the safest counties in which to live.

"The increase in burglary detection is the best for three years, and it is also encouraging to see a drop in violent crime coupled with an increase in the detection rate."

A total of 135,961 crimes were committed in the county during the year. The number of detections were 40,052, a rise of 0.8 per cent on the previous year. There were 7,122 house burglaries during the year, a rise of 4.7 per cent. The rise nationally was 6.9 per cent.

The year also saw a cut in the number of road fatalities, with 65 deaths.

In the previous two years the figures were 84 and 100 respectively.

To look at the crime figures for Hampshire in full go to (/www.hampshire.police.uk/CrimeFigs.htm>www.hampshire.police.uk/CrimeFigs.htm).