Winning public confidence is still a tough nut to crack, new figures from the force reveal.

Just over 71 per cent of victims of crime who took part in random surveys between April and June said they were satisfied with their treatment – down six per cent compared with the same period last year and well off the force's 80 per cent target.

In the same period there have been falls in burglary, vehicle crime and robbery of almost 20 per cent and reductions in less serious crimes like criminal damage, shoplifting and commercial burglary.

And although serious violence crimes has risen 12 per cent the number involved is still relatively small, up from 146 to 164 offences.

The number of gun and knife crimes has also fallen to a level well within targets.

The figures are revealed in a report measuring the force's performance against its own targets going to Humberside Police Authority's performance committee next week.

Out of six similar police forces, including Lancashire, Durham and South Yorkshire, Humberside Police has the second from lowest user satisfaction rate, at 71 per cent, down from 78 per cent the previous year. Researchers quizzed more than 500 people who had been subject to violent crime, burglary, vehicle crime or been involved in a road accident.

The police also missed another important target as the number of anti-social behaviour incidents continued to rise over the same period year on year, from 14,284 to 14,487.

Across Humberside more than 10,000 youths are causing annoyance.

Incoming chief executive of Humberside Police Authority Kevin Sharp told the Yorkshire Post in a recent interview: "The biggest issue that the police service have nationally is that the level of confidence the public have in policing is not as good as it needs to be and the future challenge for all police authorities, including Humberside Police Authority, is to make sure Humberside Police deliver a service that the public are confident of and satisfied with."

The figures also show that staff absence through sickness is continuing to come down (down 0.2 per cent between April and June this year). However, the force still hasn't managed to recruit a single black or Asian officer.

Around 23 officers or about one per cent are from the black or minority ethnic population. The Home Office has set Humberside a target of employing 1.6 per cent of its staff from minority communities by 2009.

Coun David Rudd, an East Riding councillor who sits on the performance committee, said: "Crime is certainly coming down. The police work very hard and sickness levels have lowered substantially but you can't please all the people all the time.

"There will always be a problem when police haven't turned up quickly enough or they've had bad service and I think you will always get that in all walks of life.

"Overall I would certainly say things have improved but of course these surveys have to be looked at seriously and people's opinions have to be taken seriously."

Hull Council leader Carl Minns said: "They were in special measures for high volume crime, burglaries, thefts from cars etc and I think because they have concentrated on that what's fallen by the wayside is community reassurance. Chief Supt Keith Hunter (of D Division which covers Hull) does acknowledge this and he's putting measures in place to deal with it."