OVERALL crime on Merseyside is falling according to new figures. 

The Home Office statistics showed the region had a 3.1% fall in the total number of crimes between  September 2010  and  September 2011 compared with the previous year.

The  figures  also reflect an  11.6% fall in incidents of criminal damage, a 10.9% drop in reports of vehicle damage and 10% less attacks on people.

However there was a surge in the reports of sex crimes  - 35% to 1,311 incidents – compared with the year before.

Police said the hike was a result of its specialist Unity rape investigation unit encouraging more victims of alleged sex offences to step forward.

There was also a 10% rise in thefts, 5% rise  in burglaries and 3% rise in robberies.

The figures also do not take into account how many of the recorded crimes were solved.

Assistant Chief Constable Helen King, said: "I am pleased to report that crime has again fallen here on Merseyside which means that fewer people have been victims and our towns and city remain safe places to live in, work and visit.

"For the past five years we have seen continual reductions amounting to over 69,000 fewer offences since 2005 and we remain committed to doing all we can to provide the best possible policing service to the people of Merseyside."

ACC King said the formation of the Unity team in 2010 accounted for the number of sexual offences being reported to police increasing.

She said: “Sexual offences have historically been vastly under-reported in the UK but by providing a dedicated support service to victims, we are seeing more cases reach court and more offenders prosecuted.

"This in turn builds confidence in other victims who see justice being done and are courageous enough to tell the police what has happened to them.”

There were more than 1,000 reports of firearms incidents in the 12-month period, a figure which has considerably fallen over a five-year period.

Chairman of Merseyside Police Authority, Cllr Bill Weightman, said: “The reduction in overall crime, and especially the significant reductions we have seen in violence, criminal damage and vehicle crime are evidence our police officers and staff remain dedicated to the task in hand, despite the challenging financial environment.'