Police operation driving down burglary rates
Police tape
More than four hundred people have been arrested and eighty warrants executed in the first six months of a Leicestershire-wide camapign to tackle burglary, police have said.
Launched in September in response to a rise in burglaries, Operation Dynamo focuses on using all possible investigative avenues to solve such crimes, including forensic opportunities, CCTV, house to house enquiries and Automatic Number Plate Technology (ANPR).
As well as the investigation and enforcement strand, the force launched a new crime prevention strategy called ‘cocooning’, which involved handing out crime prevention material to the victim, their neighbours and other houses further along the street.
The victim of the burglary receives a crime prevention pack with a window shock alarm and property marking pen, their neighbours receive a similar pack and residents in the rest of the street are given crime prevention leaflets and advice.
As well as encouraging residents to lock windows and doors and keep their property safe they are being asked to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to the police immediately.
House burglaries across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are at a thirteen year low but at end of August 2012 the year to date figures showed an increase of 3.4 per cent,
Today the figures show a force wide reduction of 4.1 per cent - or 154 fewer victims of burglary compared to this time last year.
Det Chief Insp Rich Ward, who is the force’s lead for burglary, said; “We are very pleased to have reversed the upward trend in burglaries and are now seeing a reduction in offences however we are not complacent and our efforts continue to robustly tackle those who commit burglary.
“We have carried out a large number of warrants and made nearly two hundred arrests and that is definitely making a difference. We’ve also had a number of successful convictions in court including a thirty five year old man who was arrested just two days after the Dynamo team started and he has just been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for burglary.
“We have made arrests in other counties as well to target those who travel into Leicestershire to commit crime and we are sharing intelligence with other police forces about people we believe are offending in both areas. We are using modern technology and years of police officer experience to tackle this problem and it is paying dividends.
“We are also asking members of the public to help us be reducing the opportunities for burglars to break into their homes. On many occasions when we examine the crime reports we see the words ‘insecure entry’ which means the burglar has got into the property through an unlocked door or open window. We’re hoping to encourage people to do a quick security check of their homes before they go out, or go to bed and to report any suspicious activity to us immediately. We know the cocooning packs are well received and we will continue to deliver that service.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Market Harborough
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: North west
