Crime in Croydon is down, although robbery, burglary and rape figures have gone up - according to the latest figures from the Met police.

The statistics, which show the number of offences committed in the borough in the 12 months up to September 2006, show that crime in Croydon has fallen by five per cent.

The number of crimes in the borough fell by 1,736 in the 12 months up to September 2006, compared with the previous year.

However, despite reductions in certain crime areas including racist crime and motor vehicle crimes, other areas saw an increase.

The number of robberies and burglaries increased and there were more rapes.

Detective Superintendent Ian Smith said: "The story behind the statistics is encouraging - there are fewer victims of crime, especially of violence and we are bringing more offenders to justice.

"It would be wrong to be complacent because crime can have a devastating effect on both individuals and communities. Our main priority for us to focus on remains street crime and burglary offences."

He added: "We have run a number of anti-street crime operations so far this year.

"We have worked closely with our colleagues from the British Transport Police and Transport Operational Command Unit by placing a more highly visible police presence in and around our transport network and at crime hot spots.

"We will continue to mount anti-street crime campaigns and are working hard to tackle the most persistent offenders."

Crime figures for Croydon

Offence -- Year to Sept 06 -- Year to Sept 05

Total Crimes 33,105 -- 34,841
Violence Against the Person (Total) 7,308 -- 8,275
Homicide 8 -- 8
Rape 104 -- 101
Other Sexual 259 -- 264
Robbery (Total) 1,882 -- 1,626
Robbery (Person) 1,723 -- 1,529
Robbery (Business) 159 -- 97
Burglary (Total) 3,535 -- 3,430
Burglary Residential 2,310 -- 2,238
Burglary Non-Residential 1,225 -- 1,192
Gun Enabled Crime 137 -- 144
Motor Vehicle Crime 4,221 -- 4,502
Domestic Crime 2,710 -- 2,999
Racist Crime 326 -- 473
Homophobic Crime 13 -- 28