THREE quarters of people in the North West say they do not have faith in the police when it comes to property crime, according to a survey out today.

But despite the vote of no confidence, the majority are not taking action to step up security on their homes.

The Omnibus survey questioned 1,500 people in England, Scotland and Wales and was conducted on behalf of national Home Security and Safety Week, which runs until September 24.

When questioned, 75 per cent of those in the North West said they did not have faith in the police to protect their homes, catch burglars and recover stolen goods. Forty two per cent said they were more worried about property crime than they were five years ago. Yet only 27 per cent confirmed they had upgraded their security in the last year.

More than half the North West respondents correctly estimated it would take a burglar less than three minutes to break into their homes.

David Kent, chief executive of Avocet hardware, instigators of Home Security and Safety Week said: "While the lack of faith in the police is alarming, there does appear to be a certain amount of apathy among home owners. They are simply not helping themselves.

"Research has shown that typically it takes a burglar less then three minutes to break into a property. If it takes longer than that he is more likely to move on. We need to educate people so they know that by taking extra security measures and preventing a burglar getting in within three minutes they will hopefully remain burglary free.

"Police forces offer security advice, though it seems few people take it up. There is a wide range of relatively inexpensive DIY products available that can vastly improve their chances of keeping burglars out."