Police chiefs in Suffolk last night hailed new figures which revealed the county had seen one of the sharpest falls in recorded crime in the country.

The number of domestic burglaries recorded by the force fell by 24% in 2013/14, compared to the previous year, while the number of robberies fell by 17% in that same period, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

On average, all recorded crimes, including fraud, fell by 9% in Suffolk, which is second only to Northamptonshire, which saw a 13% drop in recorded crime.

Welcoming the figures, Suffolk police and crime commissioner, Tim Passmore, said: “It’s wonderful news for Suffolk and I want to congratulate the work the constabulary are doing and the other agencies we work with to put in various diversionary measures.

“I think it shows across the board that we take all crime seriously from domestic abuse to sexual assault to business crime – none of it will be tolerated.

“One of the important lessons here is that we all have a responsibility to report crime and suspicious circumstances.

“This shows that if we all work together we can do very well. Suffolk is a very safe place with an efficient, low-cost force that gets results.”

Suffolk saw a fall in the majority of crimes, except for areas including drug offences, where there was a 6% rise and a 4% spike in bicycle thefts.

Elsewhere in East Anglia, total recorded crime fell by 1% in Essex and 5% in Cambridgeshire. In Norfolk the number of recorded crimes did not change.

The statistics have come just weeks after it was revealed the number of anti-social behaviour incidents had fallen from 33,296 in 2012/13 to 25,770 in 2013/14.

Suffolk Constabulary Chief Constable Douglas Paxton added: “We share a vision with the PCC of making Suffolk a safer place to live, work, travel and invest.

“Together, we are committed to providing the best possible service to our communities to keep people safe while tackling the crime and anti-social behaviour issues that concern them the most.

“Our performance this year reflects an organisation which is dedicated and determined to make Suffolk safer.

“Crime is down and our solved rate is up, reflecting a real team effort by officers and staff across the force.”

As part of the plan to tackle crime in Suffolk, research is also currently under way looking into domestic abuse, in an effort to tackle the problem in the county.

People are being invited to raise their issues with Mr Passmore at a meeting at Market Hall in High Street, Saxmundham, on Monday from 6.30pm.