WE'RE winning the war on car crime - but Gwent's high number of burglaries is bucking the national trend, new Home Office figures show.

Gwent's crime rates are tumbling - but police say there is still more to be done.

According to statistics released by the Home Office today, crime across the region is down 8 per cent - with significant falls in robberies and violent crime.

The number of crimes committed in Gwent fell from 16,016 in the period July to September 2002, to 14,749 in the same period last year.

They also showed that Gwent still has the second highest detection rate in the whole of England and Wales, at 41.5 per cent.

Car crime - the focus of the Argus Car Safe campaign, and the Gwent Police initiative Operation Maple - is also dropping.

Today's national crime statistics reveal that between July and September 2003 car crime fell back to the lower level seen in that period in the previous year.

As Car Safe only began in July and Operation Maple began in August, Gwent Police predict a further drop in car crime when the next quarterly statistics come out in April.

But there has been a dramatic growth in the number of burglaries. Detective Superintendent Alun Thomas said: "We welcome these figures that relate to the quality of life issues for the public.

"They are very interesting and useful, but we are keen to say they are just a snap- shot from the second quarter of the year."

He added that the areas that police had to focus on were dwelling burglaries and car crime.