Thieves stay away over festive week

Just 14 burglaries were recorded from Friday December 20 to Friday December 27 - and just five were in North Kirklees. Usually the figure is around 50.

Det Insp Andy Parr, of Dewsbury CID said: “To just have 14 burglaries throughout Christmas week is unprecedented.

“Last year there were 198 burglaries in Kirkless in December, so to see the figure this low is very encouraging.”

DI Parr said the reduction in crime was due to a combination of factors - from people being more vigilant around their own properties, extra security, and increased police activity to promote home safety.

He also said crime prevention work by officers over the last two years was paying off. “When you get drops in crime, it is not the result of what we’ve been doing this month or in the last few weeks,” he said. “The efforts to get to this level of crime began two years ago.

“We have been targeting known offenders and acting on information received by the public swiftly. We’re making sure we’re on the ball. We have also been supporting repeated victims with crime prevention advice.

“This figure is extremely positive but we won’t become complacent. If you see something that’s suspicious in the middle of the night, report it to us.”