POLICE 22 - CRIMINALS 78! That's the shocking 'scoreline' in the fight against crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

New figures just released show that only 22 per cent of all crimes committed in the county are successfully prosecuted.

That means that criminals go unpunished for an incredible 78 per cent of all offences carried out in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The statistic was revealed in the latest figures revealed by Home Office minister Hazel Blears yesterday.

They also show that police managed to detect less than a quarter of all crimes committed in the county - a five per cent drop on the previous year.

But while the figures for 2002/2003 may seem shocking Hampshire police is actually doing better than other forces of a comparable size.

The statistics compare the county to seven other forces in England in areas such as reducing burglaries, vehicle crime and robberies.

These forces include Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Essex, Kent, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Thames Valley.

The average prosecution rate for these forces was 19 per cent - three lower than Hamsphire - while their detection rate was four per cent below at 20 per cent.

Other figures show that the county's war on burglary is proving a success. For 2002/3 the county had 9.3 burglaries for every 1,000 households, a five per cent reduction since last year.

Although, the statistics reveal the number of robberies in the county has soared by 11 per cent and vehicle crime has gone up by two per cent.

The number of offenders being brought to justice for the supply of class A drugs has slipped by a dramatic 15 per cent since last year.

The figures also show that there has been an increase in the number of residents thinking the police do a good job - 55 per cent for 2002/3 compared to 51 per cent last year and an average of 49 per cent for other similar forces.

The number of days lost for each officer every year stood at 9.5 per cent for Hampshire - down 15 per cent from last year and compared with 10.4 per cent for the other authorities.

Supt Alison Queen, based at the force's headquarters in Netley, said: "It is pleasing to note that there is a significant increase in the number of residents who believe police in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are doing a good job.

"It also is important that there is such a significant improvement in the number of days lost each year among officers and support staff. Hampshire has one of the best records in the country."

But she added that the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard had made it appear that there was more crime.

Supt Queen said police officers could attend the scene of a crime and then record it, but it will not be detected because victims refuse to take the matter further.

She said: "The reality is that the streets of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are as safe, or more safe, than they were last year."

Chairman of Hampshire Police Federation Keith Ward said he was pleased that Hampshire was doing well.

"It's nice that we're going well, but we can always do better," he said.