HOUSE burglaries in Burnley and Padiham have been reduced by over two-thirds in the last six months.

Supt Mike Griffin, head of the Pennine Division which covers all Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, said the substantial success was due in part to targeting specific repeat offenders.

Since April 1st burglaries in dwellings throughout the division were down by 22.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.

In Burnley the figure had fallen by 69 per cent and in Padiham 68 per cent.

The detection rate for burglaries was 29 per cent, he told members of the Burnley Police and Community Forum.

There had also been a substantial reduction of six per cent across the division in reported cases of nuisance and disorder.

Even during the school holidays in July and August when complaints reached a peak, there had been reductions of nine and 11 per cent.

"An awful lot of that is due to multi-agency initiatives,'' he said.

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