THE borough is suffering a rise in crime, according to the latest figures for April to September this year.

Violent crime, robberies, domestic burglaries and armed incidents have increased, compared to the same period for 2004, leaving senior police chiefs in Bury disappointed.

Prestwich has suffered the brunt of commercial robberies while East Bury and Radcliffe are being plagued by burglars.

The statistics, revealed in a Greater Manchester Police Authority report, show that robberies rose by 16.5 per cent, violent crime increased by nearly ten per cent, life-threatening crime - where a variety of a weapons have been used by criminals - went up by 48 per cent. House burglaries rose by 3.7 per cent.

Vehicle crime and violence against the person have seen slight decreases.

The good news is that detection rates in the major crime categories are improving.

Superintendent Peter Scofield, deputy commander of Bury police force, said: "It is very disappointing to see any rise in crime and the borough has had a tough time of late. The festive period is fast approaching and that is traditionally a busy time for us so we can expect to be dealing with more offences.

"Extra patrols will be out and about across the borough during the run up to Christmas."

One third of all robberies committed between April and September have been detected while 62.5 per cent of violent crimes have resulted in offenders being locked up and dealt with by the courts.

Supt Scofield said: "The dedication of our officers has resulted in an impressive increase in the number of crimes detected and, overall, the borough is still one of the safest places to work and live.

"However, we cannot combat crime on our own and we need the public to be security conscious. Residents must ensure that their homes are secure at all times and property is not left on show."