A DRAMATIC reduction in Lancashire's crime rate was achieved by police working with other organisations and people in the community, the county's Chief Constable points out in her annual report.

Pauline Clare says the 7.9 per cent fall in crime - the biggest drop in England and Wales - was partly attributable to focusing on community based initiatives and the force's 'problem-oriented' approach to policing.

"This inter-agency co-operation will be tested further in the year ahead as statisticians predict upward trends in crime and disorder at national level," she says.