According to a report from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary the Kingdom is one of the worst areas in the country for crime behind only Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders and Grampian.
And the clear-up rate stands at just 46 per cent, slightly below the national average.
But Deputy Chief Constable David Mellor has defended the results blaming it on improved service provision and more crimes being detected.
He said: "Clearly the force's position compared to the Scottish average of overall recorded crime is disappointing and is in the main, driven by crimes of dishonesty and vandalism.
"Improvements in service provision by the introduction of centralised call handling have resulted in an increase of 35 per cent in the number of calls now answered and consequently a 10 per cent increase in the incidents dealt with.
"Incidents previously recorded for information purposes and not year-end statistics either because of the victim's wishes or information suggesting a crime may not have been committed are of course now recorded."
The report also highlighted that Fife received the lowest expenditure per 1000 population in terms of Police Grant, of all Scottish forces during 2003 - 2004.
But Mr Mellor welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Executive that progress would be made over the next three financial years to ensure fairer distribution of funding.
He added: "The force will continue to target its efforts this year towards reducing crime and focus on those areas of crime that have contributed to the overall increase whilst remaining committed to reinforcing the quality of life in Fife."

CRIME IN FIFE: THE FIGURES

2003/2004:
Non-sexual crimes of violence – 649
Crimes of indecency – 504
Dishonesty – 18,070
Fire-raising and vandalism – 9221
Other crimes – 4135
Drug-related incidents fell from 1960 in 2002/2003 to 1924 last year
Overall for Scotland the number of crimes reported stood at 414,239 with a 47 per cent clear up rate