Violent crime in Wiltshire fell in the three months up to December, a meeting of Wiltshire Police Authority was told.
The force recorded the lowest violent crime rate in the country between October and December with 2.5 crimes per 1,000 population, 14 per cent below the national average.
Compared to the previous year violent crime was down seven per cent (483 crimes), in Wiltshire. Town centre violence was down 19 per cent (244 crimes) and domestic violence incidents fell by 21 per cent (913 incidents).
However, the force is lagging behind on the previous year for the numbers of serious violent crime offences brought to justice.
Chief Constable Brian Moore told the police authority meeting, held last Thursday, that one of the reasons was due to violent crime charges downgraded at court but he also said the force needed to gather evidence, particularly medical evidence, in a more speedy manner.
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