Crime down by a quarter in Middleton and Wirksworth according to police

There were 160 crimes such as burglary, theft and incidents of anti-social behaviour reported to police in 2012.

That compares to 208 reported crimes in 2011.

Sergeant Nick Reason, from Wirksworth and Middleton Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “These figures show how much hard work goes into keeping our area safe and it’s credit to our partners and the community that we have achieved this drop.

“Wirksworth and Middleton are both safe places to live in and these numbers reflect that.

“We are all now focused on bringing the number of crimes committed in our area down even further.”

In October last year, there were 22 crimes reported, which is a rise from the 14 reported in October 2011.

November 2012 saw 10 reported – a drop from the 16 in 2011. There was also a drop in December, with seven crimes reported compared to 13 in December the previous year.

Derbyshire Dales District Council Leader Cllr Lewis Rose, who is also Chairman of the Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership, said: “We are delighted by these figures, which underline the Dales’ status as one of the safest places to live, work and visit in the whole of the UK.

“But we refuse to be complacent and will continue to take a proactive approach to reducing crime.”

For more information and to see crime figures for your neighbourhood, visit www.derbyshire.police.uk.