CRIME in South and West Devon saw only a slight increase last year. Chief Supt Andy Clarke, Commander of the South and West Devon Basic Command Unit (BCU), said the marginal increase in overall crime of 0.5% was reflected in the considerable reduction of 4.9% the year before. He put this down to an increase in reporting of criminal damage and vehicle crime. He said: 'With more Police Community Support Officers on the streets we have seen a change in the way that communities are reporting crime. 'There is a greater understanding and a better relationship with the police, which has affected our recorded criminal damage and vehicle crime figures. 'We have been actively encouraging this reporting which is now giving us a better understanding of the true picture of criminal damage that we possibly did not know the year before.' Violent crime across the area and domestic burglary have both dropped significantly. Chief Supt Clarke stated that of concern is the small increase in reporting of vehicle crime. He continued: 'This equates to an additional 151 offences across the whole of South and West Devon, but there has also been an increase of an additional 337 criminal damage offences. 'These offences are the types of crimes affecting neighbourhood communities that the newly reformed neighbourhood policing teams will be focusing upon in the future.'