Dorchester'S police chief today renewed calls for CCTV after crime rose in the county town.

However, Inspector Andy Mason said the rise in crime followed the widening of Dorchester force's boundaries to include Abbotsbury, Portesham and Osmington earlier this year, as Weymouth was streamlined to focus on town centre crime.

Insp Mason said the resizing meant recorded crime went up 14 per cent - or five extra offences per week - from 1,658 crimes last year to 1,923 for the 12 months to March this year.

He said: "We were expecting a rise this year as the Dorchester section has increased its boundaries and now covers a larger area. This year we have had a new national standard of crime recording introduced which will increase recorded crime still further.

"We have achieved a detection rate of 47 per cent, which is the highest in the western division."

Violent crime in Dorchester is up 23 per cent, from 86 offences last year to 106, but the force boasts a detection rate of 81 per cent.

The number of house burglaries is up, with 100 offences recorded last year, compared with 120 this year.

Insp Mason appealed to members of the public to make life difficult for potential thieves and said: "This number could be reduced if the public took our crime prevention advice and increased the security of their homes."

He added: "Dorchester has the second lowest number of dwelling burglary in the western division. The lowest is Weymouth town centre, which has CCTV and when funds become available we will make a bid to have cameras."

The number of incidents of anti-social behaviour is down 22 per cent on last year."

Richard Green, chairman of Dorchester's Radiolink scheme, which links traders by radio to combat petty crime, joined Insp Mason in calling for CCTV to be installed.

He said: "Without doubt criminals are seeing us as a softer target and are travelling to Dorchester from towns nearby that have got CCTV."