FEWER than one in five crimes committed in West Mercia results in a criminal conviction, according to shock Government figures published today.

The county's 16.7 per cent conviction rate is better than the average for England and Wales of 13.4 per cent, but is still worryingly low.

The figures were revealed in a written Parliamentary answer to MPs, as Ministers sought to highlight their determination to make sure more offenders are punished for their crimes.

Explanations for the poor rate - 13,097 convictions for 78,354 crimes in West Mercia - include witnesses being too frightened to go to court and difficulties compiling evidence.

The Home Office said it was seeking to address these problems by "re-balancing" the judicial system in favour of the victim.

The reforms, which will be included in a new Criminal Justice Bill, will include ending the double jeopardy rule that forbids someone being tried twice for the same offence.

The rule will be reversed in murder, rape and armed robbery cases, with the change applying retrospectively.

Existing restrictions on jury trials will be extended to serious fraud and other complex cases or when there is a risk of a jury being intimidated or bribed.

And, in some cases, juries will be told whether a defendant or witness has a relevant previous conviction and some hearsay evidence will be allowed in court.

In a separate move, Ministers are also seeking to improve the conviction rate for rape - which is one for every 13 allegations.

The proposals in the Sexual Offences Bill, which was published today, intend to make it easier for the courts to determine whether the victim has consented.

Fair balance

Under the plans, men accused of date rape will not be able to claim as a defence that they genuinely believed their partner wanted to have sex.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We want to ensure there is a fair balance of rights between the defence and the prosecution and ensure the system is effective in detecting, convicting and properly punishing those who commit crimes," said a Home Office spokesman.

Police Minister John Denham said the conviction rate was for the 12 months ending in March 2001, the latest year for which figures are available.

West Mercia police were unavailable for comment as the Evening News went to press.