WEST Somerset police officers are well ahead of their Avon and Somerset colleagues when it comes to pursuing criminals. Offenders involved in more than 30 per cent of crimes in the district in the last financial year were either taken to court, cautioned or fined for their misdeeds, compared to just over 25 per cent for the constabulary as a whole. The number of reported crimes in West Somerset also fell in the last 12 months with 27 less incidents than in the same period last year. In total, there were 202 reported crimes in the West Somerset beat area, although within those figures, the number of assaults resulting in actual bodily harm have almost doubled. However, there were ten less incidents of theft of motor vehicles to just three and a drop of 16 thefts from motor vehicles to six. Incidents of fraud and forgery fell from 11 in 2006 -2007 to eight in 2007-2008, while "other crimes" also fell by a dozen from 53 last year to 41 in this financial year. There were also falls in the number of sexual offences, domestic and non-domestic burglaries and cases of harassment. The single biggest crime in West Somerset was criminal damage with 67 incidents reported, an increase of seven on the previous 12 months. However, overall, crime levels per 1,000 people remains far lower in the Somerset West district, which also covers Taunton and Bridgwater, at 64.5 per cent, compared with 88.9 per cent in Avon and Somerset as a whole.