Dundee Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Ian Alexander, accepted the report as accurate but said it was open to interpretation.

He said, “While we accept the headline figures produced by the Scottish Executive are accurate, it is important for people to realise that, in terms of crimes involving victims, there has been a significant reduction in the last five years in most major crime groups.

He said, “What we have seen is an increase in detected crimes by pro-active policing — crimes that would never be found if police were not actively seeking them, such as drugs, weapons and breaches of bail — and also an increase in minor crime reporting, which is aided by the ability to report crimes through the Internet and by email.

“I would like to give some reassurance that the focus is on crime reduction, crime prevention and responding to victims.

“The interpretation of statistics is an extremely complicated business and that is why we employ crime analysts.”

However, Tayside as a whole remains a relatively safe place to live as comparative crime figures for both Angus and Perthshire are well below the national average.

The study also confirms that significantly more than half of all crimes reported in Tayside in the last year were solved – a figure that compares well against the national detection rate of 46%.

Despite significant progress over recent months, the study shows the incidence of domestic housebreaking in Dundee is still significantly above the national average.

Bouts of vandalism are also higher than those experienced nationally.

However, crimes involving serious assault and the use of offensive weapons are significantly lower than elsewhere across Scotland.

The region recorded the third highest rate of drugs offences nationally, was also third in terms of speeding offences, recorded at more than 22,300, and had the fourth highest number of drink drivers at 1022.

The report – which was taken to the end of March - also highlights a significant downturn in racially motivated crime in Tayside, from a total of 528 incidents in 2004/05 to 334 in the current year.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson welcomed the report that showed an overall reduction in crime of 5% across Scotland in the last year.

She said, “People want to see crime falling, offenders punished and more individuals taking responsibility for their own actions.

“Fewer crimes mean fewer victims and recorded crime last year fell to the second lowest figure in a generation — within 1% of the modern low in 2003-04.

“This is despite the new victim-centred reporting standards which means that police record reports of more minor crimes that in previous years simply were not logged without corroborating evidence.

“We now have a clearer picture of crime levels and by most measures they are falling.

“That is good news for decent law-abiding Scots who want to feel safe on the streets and in their homes.”

Dundee East MSP, Shona Robison said, “While the drop in recorded crimes is to be welcomed, the figures remain far too high and still require urgent attention.

“In Dundee we have been conducting a paper-based survey across the whole city with the thousands of respondents noting crime and anti-social behaviour as their biggest concern.

“As well as living a life free of crime, the people of Dundee should be able to live free from the fear of crime. While the drop in crime statistics is to be welcomed, this dip has not permeated through to the residents of this city who remain frightened.

“In order to stop this, and to further reduce the numbers of crimes being committed, we need to see an increase in the numbers of police on the beat as a crime deterrent.”

Fife Chief Constable Peter Wilson, chairman of the Crime Business Area of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said, “These crime statistics give the strongest indication yet that the combined efforts of targeted intelligence-led policing and effective community safety partnerships are making a difference across Scotland.

“To achieve an overall drop in crime is tremendous, especially when you consider that we now have our strictest-ever crime recording regime in place, ensuring that anything reported as a crime is recorded as such.

“It is also heartening to see violent crime drop because it has been a problem area in the past.

“It shows the work being put in by Scotland’s police forces, coupled with the efforts of the Violence Reduction Unit, is bearing fruit.

“Crimes of dishonesty, which include those crimes most likely to affect members of the public, such as housebreaking, have also come down.

“That is one of the biggest achievements because these so-called minor crimes have a major impact on people's perception of crime.”

“We cannot become complacent.

“We must work even harder to continue to bring these figures down and we must recognise that policing is not just about statistics. “