Sixteen crimes are being committed in Sussex every hour but there are no gloomy faces at police headquarters.

Figures released last night show a whopping 136,000 crimes were committed in the past 12 months - but numbers are falling.

There were more than 4,000 fewer crimes than during the previous year and with detection rates a record high senior police are calling it a "cracking" year.

Chief Constable Joe Edwards congratulated officers and staff and described the results as "outstanding."

He said: "It's a fantastic effort that represents a massive amount of sustained, joined-up effort. Well done to everyone.

"When criminals are feeling nervous but everyone else is feeling safer, then we know we are an efficient police force and we can face the future with confidence."

Peter Jones, Sussex Police Authority chairman, said he was "very satisfied" and Deputy Chief Constable Geoff Williams said: "It's been a cracking year."

The crime rate puts Sussex just above half way up the England and Wales league table of crimes per thousand population.

Figures for the 12 months to March 31 show nearly one in three crimes were solved compared to the usual one in four. The detection rates nudged 30 per cent, three per cent above target and the best on record.

Home burglaries fell 16 per cent (1,100 fewer) and March recorded 410 burglaries, the first time the daily rate of offending has ever fallen below 14.

Car crime was down 11 per cent (1,645 fewer) and the 7.6 per cent detection rate for this crime was the one of the few to miss its target (by 0.5 per cent).

The force said violent crime had reached a plateau following Sussex's transition to compliance with the National Crime Recording Standard. It meant even minor pushes and shoves had to be recorded.

During 2005/6 violent crime increased three per cent with an extra 879 offences but most were low-level, non-injury incidents.

A force spokesman said: "These reflect pro-active policing, in particular the increased use of penalty notices for disorder.

"In 2004/5, the first year notices were available in Sussex, 462 of these offences recorded were disposed of with tickets.

"During the past year that number has risen by 812 - itself close to the total rise in violent crime."

He added: "At 53 per cent, Sussex's violent crime detection rate reached its highest level since June 2004, although fell short of the 60 per cent target."

Criminal damage fell five per cent (1,542 fewer victims) and the 18 per cent detection rate was two per cent up.

Emergency call handling performance exceeded target in 2005/6, with 94.3 per cent of the 250,000-plus 999 calls answered within ten seconds.

The proportion of non-emergency calls answered within a minute rose to 72.6 per cent, just short of target, but 9.8 per cent up.

Of 100,000-plus incidents in the past year that needed an immediate response, 82.7 per cent were reached within 15 minutes.