RESIDENTS in Hala and Scotforth are to receive the support of a mobile police station following a spate of burglaries in the area.

The community police vehicle will be at Hala Square between 1pm and 4pm on Sunday (March 16).

Residents are being urged to visit the unit to find out more about protecting their homes and contents.

And they are being invited to take along items such as bikes, skatebords, electrical goods or mobile phones to have them security post-coded.

Crime Prevention Officer Jan Brown says the mobile unit is going out into the community in response to a number of burglaries over the last few weeks - many involving the theft of electrical goods such as computer games and equipment.

She confirms that items believed to have been stolen have also been offered for sale in the area - and police are anxious to talk to anyone who has been offered goods or who had information.

The mobile unit will give people an opportunity to talk to a police officer in confidence, she says.

Both uniformed officers and crime prevention officers will be available.

"This is an effort to make ourselves as accessible as possible so that people have the chance to learn how to protect themselves and their property," adds Jan.