SEX crimes and violent crimes are running at higher levels in Andover than might be expected, Home Office figures reveal.

But chief police officer Supt Keith Cockburn says the figures should not be seen in isolation or taken out of context.

"Whilst it is disappointing that our incidences of violent crime and sexual offences are slightly higher than other safe areas within our family grouping, it is extremely encouraging that they are considerably lower than the majority of police areas within the other nine groupings.

"It is also pleasing that our vehicle crime and burglary crime figures are lower than many other in our family grouping and considerably lower than most in the other groupings."

The Home Office figures are designed to compare police divisions with similar places across the country.

In its tables the Home Office has split the country up into groups of 'family' areas using socio-economic and demographic characteristics in an effort to compare like with like.

In the division or 'basic command unit' table the Andover division is matched, in 'family nine', with 30 other police divisions across the country - including central Hants, most of Wiltshire, eastern Dorset and West Berkshire, as well as places further afield such as Shrewsbury and Buxton. Andover has the highest incidence of 'crime against the person' of any division in its socio-economic family group with 10.5 offences per thousand population a year compared to 7.1 in central Hants, 6.4 in Salisbury 'A' division of Wiltshire and just 4.5 in west Berkshire.

In terms of sexual offences Andover had a rate of one per thousand in the year ending March 2001 which is again the highest in its family group and more than double the average of other 29 divisions.

A rate of one per thousand equates to 63 sexual offences committed among the 64,900 people who live in the Andover division area.

Supt Cockburn adds: "Figures are not the real issue and for many people are pretty meaningless.

"For the victims of crime, one crime is a crime too many." The full set of figures can be view on the Home Office website.