CRIME has been plummeted in a village where residents united to defend their homes and property.
Tattenhall has seen a reduction from 134 incidents in 2004/05 to just 73 in the past 12 months.
And residents say the fear of crime is disappearing too.
Police and community leaders are delighted with the results of a campaign which has brought the forces of law and the public together.
They say the introduction of community action meetings and crime surveys are significant factors in the decrease.
The biggest drop in the figures - which are measured from August to July each year - is in incidents of criminal damage, which are down from 47 to 23 year on year. Disturbances in public places have also dropped from 16 to two and only drunken incidents have risen, from one to five.
Homewatch co-ordinator Graham Marsden lives in the centre of Tattenhall.
'Recent action has helped restore people's faith in the system,' he said. 'Villagers know exactly what is going on and feel they can report any concerns, no matter how small.
'Because we get information from police about crime elsewhere, criminals will be shocked if they try to cause trouble here as our knowledge helps us stop crimes happening.'
