POLICE appear to be losing the battle with city centre criminals, according to the latest crime figures.

Year on year since 2009, fewer offences have resulted in a caution, charge or conviction.

In 2009/10 the force successfully detected 1,616 offences, or 36 per cent of recorded crime.

This fell to 1,515 offences, or 33 per cent, the year after, and then 1,339, just under 30 per cent, in 2011/12.

More crime takes place in Oxford centre than anywhere else in the city. Shoplifting is the main problem police face, accounting for 656 of the 4,688 crimes in the past year.

However, there has been a significant fall in the offence, down by a fifth since the year before.

Shopkeepers said crowds of tourists made keeping an eye on their goods tough.

The second most common crime was pickpocketing with 380 offences, then public order with 339.

PC Peter Ciechan, from the city centre neighbourhood team, said the key to prevention was a police presence.

He said shoplifting had fallen because of better communication between High Street shops.

He added: “We probably get called to the bigger shops but they tend to be shops that have the security guards and the CCTV.”

Police detection rates show 58 per cent of shoplifting offences result in a caution or charge – a rise of nine per cent on last year.

John Partington, owner of Chocology in the Covered Market, said more bobbies were the answer.

And Alex Dexter, owner of homeware store Objects of Use in Market Street, said: “Something goes missing every two to three weeks.

“A visible police presence would probably make a difference.”

Overall crime was down two per cent, 4,764 in 2010/11 to 4,688 in 2011/12. While serious violent and sexual offences fell from 53 to 36 in the past year, crimes including robbery and vehicle theft, rose 12 per cent.

Andy Viney, secretary of the Thames Valley Police Federation, said it was important to maintain patrols despite spending cuts being made across the country.

He said: “High-visibility patrols cannot be underestimated.

“The price of the officer on the beat cannot be easily quantified when we are looking for prevention and it is important in detection.

“But what the force has been achieving in these times of austerity has been excellent.”

Kamran Tajer, of Bulwarks Lane, said he had a £40 plant stolen last month from his Oxford Hill English School. Mr Tajer, who also runs Castle News in New Road, said: “Two years ago we had a lot of problems, but now it is much better.

“I don’t know about other cities but it is okay here. Most problems come from young teenagers gathering and behaving anti-socially.”

Jean Reeve, co-owner of Price’s Pet Supplies in the Covered Market, said shoplifting figures did not surprise her as she had had problems with big crowds of tourists.

She said: “You have to watch them like a hawk.”

And she said she felt less safe at night, adding: “During the day it’s not too bad but after about half past six it gets a different feel to it.”

The figures related to the financial year from April 2011 to March this year.

Clare Hodgkin, sales assistant at The Hat Box in the Covered Market, said: “I know it [shoplifting] is a big thing but I wouldn’t have thought it would be the biggest crime, not in Oxford anyway.”