Top officials from the Greek police and Public Order Ministry are to cooperate in cracking down on an apparent trend by police officers to doctor crime statistics, or fail to register crimes, to make their efforts appear more effective.

The two bodies decided to launch the campaign after police chiefs noticed a discrepancy between crime statistics and the actual performance of police units.

Among the incidents that spurred police into action was the arrest, about a month ago, of a young Cretan who confessed to 27 burglaries and car thefts, none of which had been recorded.

Also, Thessaloniki police arrested three people linked to eight burglaries, of which there is no record.

In other cases, robberies had been recorded as thefts, a less serious crime.