Number crunching has also helped in Laredo, where overall crime fell 16% last year, says Mr Baeza.

BBC: US crime figures: Why the drop?

Mr Baeza adds that they also targeted car theft networks, educated the community about prevention and promoted anti-theft devices.

BBC: US crime figures: Why the drop?

Police spokesman Joe Baeza says they introduced a scheme whereby motorists could register their car number plates into a police database and this empowered patrol cars to stop these cars if they were spotted late at night, to verify the owners.

BBC: US crime figures: Why the drop?