EVERY single serious violent crime in the Ribble Valley was solved in the past year, according to police figures.

The rural borough saw a 50 per cent drop, down to 11 offences, with a 100 per cent detection record, and violent crime fell by 7.5 per cent also.

Throughout Ribble Valley, there were 200 fewer victims of crime between April 2009 and March 2010, compared with the previous year’s statistics – a fall of more than 10 per cent.

There were also significant reductions in serious acquisitive crime (13.9 per cent) and criminal damage (10.7 per cent).

Ribble Valley Inspector Chris Saville said: “Over recent years, the Ribble Valley has been one of the top five safest places to live in the country and when I took over this role last September, my aim was to make it even safer.

“It is extremely reassuring to see a fall in levels of crime which is testament to the hard work of local officers and our partners in the Community Safety Partnership of Ribble Valley Borough Council.”