Police in Barnet are now facing their latest challenge ,, a sharp rise in crime.

Burglary, street crime and violent crime are all up in the borough in the face of heavy criticism for the Met in the McPherson report.

The borough's new chief superintendent, John Yates, spoke on Tuesday of his disappointment at recent crime statistics which show cases of actual bodily harm have risen by almost 50 per cent rise in the past year to 1,074, while numbers of violent crimes are up more than 15 per cent to 4,244.

The figures have added significance because they offer the first opportunity to accurately compare crime levels since new Home Office counting rules were introduced in April 1998.

Burglary and street crime have been cited as areas of particular concern Met-wide but Chief Supt Yates says the reports are misleading.

'You have to put that in the context of five successful years. Burglary last year was at an 18-year low,' he said.

But he admitted there was a lot of work to be done. 'Every robbery here gives me pain.

'I'm absolutely committed to getting these crime levels down.'

He said the new Met initiative 'Safer Streets ,, London Against Street Crime', launched yesterday, would help combat street crime and appealed to the public for help: 'People can make a difference by not leaving valuables on view and getting decent locks.'

But for now he is concentrating on the challenge ahead: 'We have targets and so far we are doing okay, we are not on course for reducing all crime yet but it is better than last year.'