GWENT Police are dramatically failing to meet crime-cutting targets, the Argus can reveal.

The force has a target to reduce all recordable crime by 40 per cent from April 1, 2000.

But new figures show it has so far only managed to cut it by one per cent.

And the latest figures show the number of recorded crimes this financial year to date actually rose.

In the financial year 2001/2002 the figures stood at 42,932, but this rose to 55,619 in 2002/2003.

Police blame the rise on new recording methods - but even when this is taken into account the number of crimes has still increased by about 200 incidents.

The force is failing to meet targets by more than 10 per cent in most of the major crime areas including burglary, vehicle crime and drug trafficking.

Targets have also been set for the detection rate to be increased to 70 per cent for all recordable crime over the next three years.

However, the force is also failing to meet its target and has only increased its detection rate to 46 per cent.

Chief Constable Keith Turner said: "The force is exceeding target in some areas, but as the monthly report shows the change in crime-recording rules has had quite an effect on our performance this year over last.

"For the first time in February, the force witnessed a slight increase. Our most accurate prediction is there has been about a 0.5 per cent increase in crime.

"The disorder incidents do very well, but again, the statistics are masking the fact that a lot of what used to fall into disorder now falls into assaults.

"The fall in drugs arrests continues to be reversed and the force was first runner-up in the Home Office National Awards for best practice against street-level dealing."

Mr Turner said the force had set itself an "aspirational target" of cutting crime by 40 per cent by April 1, 2004. It also aims for a detection rate of 70 per cent.

"Since this target was set, crime has reduced by 22 per cent, and our detection rate remains strong, with 1,538 more crime detected this year over last," he said.