CRIME is continuing to rise in the borough while fewer than a quarter of incidents are detected by the police.

Bury continues to have the lowest amount of recorded crime in the Greater Manchester area and the second best detection rate, but local police bosses have admitted that they are unhappy with the latest 3.4 per cent rise in offences.

Superintendent Steve Westcott, deputy commander of the Bury division, said: "We may well have the least amount of crime throughout Greater Manchester but that is no consolation when it continues to rise.

"We, in conjunction with our Crime Safety Partnership members, including the local Council, have a lot of work to do to ensure that crime is reduced in Bury." Latest figures show that between April 1 and October 31, a total of 12,978 crimes were recorded within the borough, 469 more than during the same period last year.

Serious woundings rose by 22.4 percent to 71 and there were 869 reports of lesser woundings of which 650 were detected by the police.

Of the 56 indecent assaults on women, 40 were solved by officers while a dozen people were arrested by police in connection with 17 rapes.

There were 1,287 house burglaries, 166 incidents of arson and robberies rose by 22 per cent to 254.

Vehicle related crimes and drug offences were all down.

In total 23.5 percent of all of Bury's reported crimes were detected by the division's 200-plus police force.

Manchester's C Division, which covers an area including Longsight and Moss Side, suffered the highest amount of recorded crime, a total of 29,665 incidents, while the second lowest number of incidents, 16,496,was reported in Tameside. Crime in GMP rose by 5.7 percent

Bolton police had the best detection rate with 24.8 percent of its 21,531 crimes solved. GMP's overall detection rate was 20.9 percent.

Supt Westcott said: "We have set out our strategy for the next few months to combat areas of concern. These include the high number of robberies and burglaries in the Prestwich area and alcohol related crimes in the Bury town centre area.

"Successes in these areas will, I am confident, result in dramatic reductions in crime and also have an effect on other incidents."

The senior officer also called on Bury's public for help in reducing crime and asked that victims report incidents immediately.