VIOLENT crime in Redditch was more than two-thirds higher than the national average in 2003/04, according to latest Home Office figures.

The statistics, published on Thursday, revealed the number of violent incidents in the town during that period was about 70 per cent higher than the national average.

This represented 7.7 offences per 1,000 people compared to 4.5 nationally.

However, Redditch police said this figure was now falling, bucking the national trend.

Violent crime in the town was again highlighted on Thursday when a 13-year-old boy was assaulted and stabbed by a teenager of the same age after he left school.

A police spokesman said the boy was not seriously hurt but they were still investigating the incident.

The Home Office figures also showed Redditch suffered from more criminal damage than the national average but lower rates of robbery, vehicle theft and drug offences.

Crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour have been key battlegrounds before polling day next Thursday and all the Parliamentary candidates were keen to make political capital out of the new statistics.

Liberal Democrat hopeful Nigel Hicks said coping with violent crime had to be a priority in Redditch and "more effort" was needed to tackle it.

But Labour's Jacqui Smith, who is defending her seat, said she was "thrilled" Redditch police had met and, in many cases, outperformed most of their targets for 2004/05.

However, Conservative candidate Karen Lumley criticised those targets, saying they meant more paperwork for police and fewer bobbies on the beat.

UKIP's candidate John Ison also said increased paperwork was a "nightmare" and a hindrance to officers.

He said performance indicators were often manipulated, adding: "They don't always tell the full story."

Insp Gareth Prosser, of Redditch police, said more up-to-date internal police figures for 2004/05 showed a 17 per cent fall in violent crime compared to the Home Office figures for 2003/04, bucking the national trend, which showed violent crime rising overall.

There were 2,178 violent crimes in 2004/05, well below the target of 2,584.

Insp Prosser said this was largely due to the success of Operation Capital, aimed at increasing police visibility in the town centre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

He said "tremendous effort" from all areas of the force enabled the district as a whole to pass latest Government targets.

But he added: "We can't afford to be complacent and will focus on maintaining and improving the high standards we set ourselves."

Detection rates for all crime in 2004/05 was 32.5 per cent compared to 25.3 per cent the previous year and a 19 per cent national average.

The Home Office 2003/04 statistics for Redditch can be viewed at www.crimestatistics.org.uk