LANCASHIRE’S top police officer has pledged not to be complacent following a year of excellent results for the force.

End-of-year figures for the constabulary showed a nine per cent drop in recorded crime, with a 35-year-low for the number of burglaries committed in the county.

Vehicle crime was also at a 28-year low and there were 5,122 fewer victims of robbery and violent crime in 2007/08 compared to the previous year.

But Lancashire Chief Constable Steve Finnigan vowed that his officers would continue to work hard to make the county a safer place.

Mr Finnigan promised to carry on focusing efforts on neighbourhood policing, diversity, quality and the ‘Protecting People’ initiative involving high-profile police operations.

In his annual report he said: “The constabulary finds itself in a position where it can look back with pride over the previous year and look forward with a great amount of optimism and confidence in tackling the challenges that lie ahead.

“Despite Lancashire’s excellent performance and independently ranked position nationally, we will not be complacent.

"I am acutely aware that whilst reductions in crime are admirable, there is still much work to be done.”

The force has won several accolades over the past year. It was named as the joint top performing force in the country by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and gained international glory when a Blackburn-based project involving problem and vulnerable families scooped the International Goldstein Award at a ceremony in the United States.

Neighbourhood policing teams are assisted by the 421 PCSOs on the beat, 176 of whom are part funded by partner agencies.

Almost half of the force’s 630 volunteers are also based with the teams.

Efforts have been made to reflect the communities served in the make-up of police officers and staff.

The target of six per cent of recruits coming from a black or ethnic minority background and 36.2 per cent for females were both met, Mr Finnigan said.

As part of the ‘Protecting People’ operation the force has spent the past year targeting organised crime.

Mr Finnigan said: “The extra funding we have received through the council tax increases has boosted the constabulary’s capability and capacity around risk and harm.

“Our serious and organised crime unit arrested 64 members of organised crime groups, many of whom received lengthy prison sentences, seized £300,000 worth of drugs, confiscated over £2 million worth of criminal assets and over £10 million of contraband and identified for recovery £2 million worth of stolen vehicles and 11 firearms together with ammunition.”