WILTSHIRE is the second safest county in England. That is the verdict of Wiltshire Police Authority's annual report.

The report declares there are 63 crimes per thousand of population compared with a national average of 97. Surrey is the safest county in the country.

It outlines how the force intends to spend its £82,469,000 budget over the next 12 months.

The Police Authority is the committee of councillors, magistrates and lay members that has overall responsibility for running the county's police force.

Authority chairman Bertie Woolnough said the key objective for next year is to put more officers on the beat by using new technology to free up time.

He said: "We recognise that the community wants to see police officers and have the reassurance that comes with visibility.

"As well as a net increase in the constabulary, officers will spend more time in the community by conducting business more effectively.

"We want to use technology to free up officer time and strengthen the links between officers and their respective communities."

Currently officers spend more than half their time on matters other than active policing. A target has been set to increase the time officers spend on patrol from 47 per cent to 55 per cent.

The authority says it intends to do this by increasing use of the internet and improving the way prisoner handling teams work.

The report states that police numbers are to increase over the next 12 months from the current figure of 1,184 to 1,218.

An increase in officer absence due to anxiety, depression and stress has been identified as one of the force's problem areas. The average policeman took 12 days off sick last year compared with 11 the year before.

The total cost of sickness to the force is estimated at £1.5 million a year. The authority is proposing to help reduce the problem by tightening up administrative procedures and offering officers free flu jabs.

Distraction burglaries have been identified as an action area for the next 12 months. These are burglaries where people are tricked into letting thieves, often posing as policeman or utilities workers, into their homes.

Distraction burglaries make up 167 out of a total of 2,389 burglaries which take place annually in Wiltshire.

Reducing road traffic deaths is another key force action area. The police authority has outlined an ambitious strategy to reduce road traffic deaths by 40 per cent over the next 10 years.

In 2001/2002 there were 446 deaths on Wiltshire's roads.

Ways to prevent accidents include more education for children particularly and drivers on the dangers of fatigue.

The authority is also proposing to expand the use of interactive road signs, already pioneered in the county, which are activated when a driver approaches a junction or other hazard too fast.

Wiltshire Police is also proposing to continue to target speeding with the use of cameras and high profile patrols.

Surveys carried out by police reveal that Swindon residents are most concerned about sexual crimes. Wiltshire Police regularly survey 2,500 residents as part of the Swindon People's Voice Scheme.

Swindonians rate hard drugs as the second most important crime area and muggings or robberies third.

The full Wiltshire Police Authority Plan for 2002/2003 is available by calling the Clerk to Wiltshire Police Authority on (01380) 734002.