Thieves won’t be given an easy ride

Burglars are feeling the squeeze under a new hard-hitting police campaign.

Operation Guardian has been boosted by the addition of four new customised forensic response unit vehicles to provide round-the-clock scene-of-crime support.

The vans are the latest armoury in the fight against burglary and will be used by crime scene investigators to gather evidence while it is still fresh.

Yesterday was a day of action across Greater Manchester to highlight the crackdown in which officers will execute search warrants on known and suspected criminals and check for possible possession of stolen property.

Chief Supt Caroline Ball, head of Oldham Police, said: “We take burglary seriously and are prepared to tackle it on a number of different levels. It also shows offenders that they are constantly in our sights and will end up in prison unless they turn their back on crime.

“We are determined to drive down this crime.

“Residents can support us by following the simple advice to lock doors and windows, use alarms and lights and register their valuables to put burglars out of a job this year.”

Officers visited prolific offenders at home to make sure they are complying with bail and curfew conditions.

And second-hand dealers came under scrutiny as officers checked on their stock and warned traders against handling stolen goods.

Traffic officers used automatic number plate recognition technology to make roadside checks on vehicles entering and leaving burglary hotspots.

Gateway checks were made at train, bus and tram stations to monitor the movements of suspected offenders.

The public have also been urged to register valuables at stations in community venues such as supermarkets, schools and libraries, and on to the free easy-to-use www.immobilise.com database used by all UK police forces to find out the ownership of recovered items.

To report a burglary call police on 0161-872 5050.