Despite an overall fall in the number of crimes reported in the Cleveland force area over the past nine months, offences of violence have risen by more than 50%.

The force has blamed the way figures are collected for creating a "distorted" view of its performance.

According to figures published by the force, over the past nine months house burglaries were down by 13%, vehicle crime down by more than 14% and robbery down by almost 7%.

But violent crimes shot up by 53% and cases of criminal damage were up by 14%.

Acting assistant chief constable Dave Lumb said if the police were using the same counting rules as last year the reductions would have been a lot greater.

'True comparison'

He added: "We are approaching the end of the financial year and traditionally the winter months and dark nights always see an increase in offending.

"It is a continuous challenge, but we and our partners are determined there should be no let up in the fight against crime.

"It is unfortunate that the changes in the counting rules have, for the present time, distorted the overall crime figures.

"You cannot get a true comparison, that is why offences of violence have jumped by 53% to 6,846 and criminal damage has risen by 1,525 to 12,237.

"We are not complacent. We are determined to put the people of Cleveland first.

"We are putting more officers on the streets and want to see the quality of life for our communities improved."

Councillor Ken Walker, chair of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "The changes in the counting rules are continuing to have an impact on the monthly statistics.

"But what we need to look at is the progress being made, particularly in tackling the types of crime which affect so many members of the public."