'Northamptonshire is a hostile place for burglars': Burglaries at 11-year low as taskforce reaches six-months-old

Since Operation Crooked was launched in April, the number of home invasions has halved with burglaries at their lowest point since June, 2008, and 157 people have been arrested.

As part of the operation, the anti-burglary team, which sits within the criminal investigation department, ensures every burglary victim in Northamptonshire is guaranteed a visit from the police.

The team also works to review and drive up the quality of investigations, manage and progress forensic hits, hunt down wanted people, organise police patrols in areas of concern and gather intelligence to prevent burglaries before they happen, according to police.

Detective Inspector Wayne Preece said: “As a team, we are really pleased with the impact we have made in reducing burglaries across the county and we hope to make even more of a difference when our one year anniversary comes around.

“However, whilst having the lowest volume of burglaries in 11 years is definitely something to be proud of, we also acknowledge that there is still a lot to do and we will not become complacent.

“Northamptonshire is a hostile place for burglars and we want burglars to know this. We have arrested, charged and convicted a number of burglars since the team was launched and we have no intention of letting up.”