SHOCKING figures out this week show violent Crime in Chorley has doubled in the past year.

But police chiefs are playing down the statistics and blame the upturn on the way crime is recorded.

While violent crime went up by 98 per cent and robberies by 14 per cent, all other types of crime showed a dramatic decrease, with burglaries at a 15-year low.

Operations manager for Southern Division Superintendent Steve Watson said: "The violent crime figures are wholly out of sync with the evidence we have collected.

"The National Crime Recording Standards (NCRS), which were introduced last year, are still having a significant impact on figures. They determined that very low levels of violent crime such as, for example a scuffle between two brothers, are recorded.

"We have been checking A&E admissions and calls to the communications centre and all the corroborative analysis indicates there is no actual increase in levels of violent crime."

Chorley fared well compared to Leyland and West Lancs, the two other areas in Southern Division. The town's figures include:

Burglaries down by 17 per cent, four per cent better than Southern Division as a whole.

A 22 per cent decrease in general vehicle crime.

Twenty per cent less thefts from vehicles, compared with a six per cent decrease across the division.

A 28 per cent drop in car thefts.

The only other category showing an increase was in robberies, which again was affected by the NCRS.

But Chorley's Conservative leader, Peter Goldsworthy, a member of the council's Police Authority Community Committee, has rejected the police claims and insists violent crime is on the increase and needs to be tackled immediately.

He said: "I don't agree that the massive growth is simply down to the way crime is recorded. It might not be a 98 per cent rise, but I know that violent crime is certainly on the increase.

"I go outside and see the yobs hanging around on street corners and know that, a lot of the time, drink and drugs are to blame.

"We need more police on our streets and we also need to look at the way crime is targeted.

"In many cases, there is a violent crime and by the time the police turn up, the criminals have run off. Police need to be on the scene immediately to give them the best chance of catching them."

The drop in other types of crime is being put down to the unique way in which incidents are treated in Chorley.

Superintendent Watson said: "Chorley has done very, very well.

"I believe it is down to a better use of intelligence and a better focus on key offenders both locally and cross-border.

"The staff are very committed to delivering a good quality of service and I have been very impressed that they take every crime that occurs in Chorley very personally."