Assistant Chief Constable Jeff Farrar said: "Over the last three years, Gwent Police has seen significant reductions in crime during a period of huge change in the force.

“During this period Gwent Police has seen the biggest restructure in its 42 year history which has seen the force produce a saving of £7.5million this year alone.

“With the introduction of more resources on the front line, public confidence in Gwent Police continues to show one of the most dramatic improvements in England and Wales and we believe that the accessibility of these officers in our communities account for a significant number of the reports received.

“It is also worth noting Gwent Police are rigorous in ensuring that all crimes reported to them are recorded properly.

“These home office statistics have been released against a background of very low levels of crime in Gwent Police between 2005/6 until 2007/8.

“Whilst the latest Home Office figures published today, indicate that crime was up 6% for the 12 month period to December 2009 there is clear evidence that this trend has now reversed and we are now experiencing a substantial downward trend.

“The latest statistics show that there has been a 4.12% decrease in total crime for the latest quarter (January – March 2010) compared to the same period last year.

“Within the figures released today there is some encouraging news with incidents of violence against the person down 2%.

“The Home Office figures show criminal damage to be up by 2% but again the latest quarter figures show a 21% decrease.

“This reduction can be attributed to the robust targeting of anti social behaviour which Gwent residents tell us is their number one concern.

“During a challenging economic period, burglary has risen but we have worked quickly and decisively, developing a series of initiatives and operations to tackle this problem since April 2009.

“The force has worked with the National Police Improvement Agency to utilise their expertise and to maximise performance in this area.

“The Force appointed Detective Superintendent Rhiannon Kirk to spearhead our drive to reduce volume crimes which includes burglary and other acquisitive crime.

“Operations such as Conifer II and Operation Drafted have resulted in significant arrests with several defendants currently on remand.

“Levels of burglary have now stabilised and have started to reduce. We expect this trend to continue when the fourth quarter statistics are published in the summer.

“One victim of burglary Mrs Vivienne Verren, who has been featured in media reports, was visited personally by Superintendent Rhiannon Kirk as part of our drive to improve our service to victims of crime.

“Mrs Verren told Superintendent Kirk how fantastic our response and neighbourhood officers had been in dealing with her case.

“She was also very pleased to receive our new wallet of information, specifically designed for victims of burglary.

“This contains reassurance, crime prevention advice and tools to mark property. Gwent police is also investing in a large media campaign to encourage people to lock up their property and help ensure their own safety.

“During 2009 the force also launched several campaigns encouraging victims of sexual crime in Gwent to report incidents as help and support from the Police and other specialist agencies is readily available.

“This is an area of crime which is historically under reported across the UK. Our campaigns coupled with the establishment of the Onyx unit, a specialist team working with partners in health and the voluntary sector to investigate sexual crime has encouraged more victims of recent and historic sexual crimes to have the confidence to come forward and report them to the Police.

“Encouragingly during this period the number of sexual offences reported increased by 2%. We are confident that the ongoing operations and initiatives which we have in place will have a downward effect on crime levels during 2010 and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that Gwent is a safe place to live, work and visit.”