The figures allow comparison between similar forces

But the performance figures, released on Wednesday, do not form a league table allowing a direct comparison of the 43 police forces.

Chief constables have consistently opposed the introduction of a table similar to the government's league tables for schools and hospitals.

The figures for 2001-2002 are presented in diagram form and will be used to improve performance.

Too often the police are judged solely on whether crime figures have gone up or down Ruth Henig Association of Police Authorities

City police forces have been compared with other city forces, and rural with other rural ones.

Greater accountability

Home Office minister John Denham has denied the public will be confused by the complex set of diagrams, set out as so-called spidergrams. "It's much easier to look at a diagram for a sense of whether performance is better or worse than average than by looking down a list," he said.

Forces are rated in 13 categories coming under five areas - reducing crime, investigating crime, promoting public safety, citizen focus and their use of resources.

For the promoting public safety category, people's perceptions of crime levels in their areas were monitored, while citizen focus looked at whether residents thought their forces were doing a good job.

AVON AND SOMERSET Burglaries per 1,000 homes: 25.1 Offences detected: 14% Residents perceiving disorder as high: 19% (+ or -6%) Residents thinking police do good job: 46% (+ or -4%) Sick days per officer: 13 Click here for full police performance monitors

The use of resources category calculates the number of days lost through sickness for each police officer and each civilian member of the forces.

The figures do not include key areas such as tackling serious organised crime, including terrorism, some violent crime and anti-social behaviour.

'Snapshot'

Mr Denham said the figures were the first step in developing a more sophisticated system for comparing police performance.

"Publishing police performance comparisons will allow the public to hold the police to account and strengthen the partnership between the Home Office, police authorities and police forces in driving up performance."

DYFED-POWYS Burglaries per 1,000 homes: 3.6 Offences detected: 51% Residents perceiving disorder as high: 12% (+ or -5%) Residents thinking police do good job: 53% (+ or -5%) Sick days per officer: 10.5 Click here for full police performance monitors

The Association of Police Authorities (APA), which monitors the performance of police forces, has cautiously welcomed the publication of the figures.

Chairwoman Ruth Henig said: "Too often the police are judged solely on whether crime figures have gone up or down. That is over-simplistic."

But she said the figures were only interim ones that presented only a "snapshot" from a year ago and did not fully take into account local policing priorities.

The performance figures form part of Home Secretary David Blunkett's national policing plan published in November.