ALL victims of house burglaries – and their immediate neighbours – across Keighley will be visited by police and provided with crime prevention packs following break-ins.

The pledge has been made as part of the newly-launched West Yorkshire Police We Don’t Buy Crime initiative.

As well as advice, the packs will include marker pens to help protect property, and window stickers explaining that extra security measures have been taken.

Funding for the scheme is being provided by the Home Office Safer Streets Fund.

Chief Inspector Andy Thornton, for the force, says: "A person’s home is somewhere they should feel safe.

"We are determined to do all we can to prevent burglary offences and ensure that when they do occur, we are working with communities to gather evidence and make sure the person responsible is caught.

"Burglars get to know areas and will often return to the same neighbourhood to commit offences. The We Don’t Buy Crime initiative means that we are not just offering crime prevention advice to the victim but also to their neighbours, keeping them more informed and aware of what they can do to protect their own homes and valuables."

As part of the venture, work is also being carried out with second-hand stores encouraging them to check for any forensic and UV markings when accepting items for sale. All officers now carry UV torches so that they can make checks on property too.

Chief Insp Thornton adds: "We want to put burglars out of business by making it harder for stolen goods to be sold on.

"We are providing UV torches to second-hand stores and helping them to protect themselves from being involved in potentially handling stolen property."

All householders are urged to take steps to improve their home security.

Advice includes:

* Check for insecure doors and windows – don't leave them unlocked, and make sure they meet minimum security standards of PAS 24

* Keep any valuables out of sight

* Grow your own security, with 'defensive planting' such as hardy bushes and shrubs

* Use internal lights and external dusk-till-dawn lighting to reduce the risk of being burgled

Each of West Yorkshire's five policing areas, including the Bradford district, has a crime prevention team.

They comprise specially-trained crime prevention and architectural liaison officers.

For details of how to contact them, to obtain further advice about protecting your home or business, go to westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/our-services/crime-prevention/contact-us