A SCHEME to clamp down on burglaries in Accrington using an undercover "hit squad" has been hailed a great success.

Operation Enforce was launched in the town last month following a similar scheme in Blackburn which was prompted by a rising number of break-ins in East Lancashire.

Det Sgt Paul Broxson, who is leading the Accrington team of three officers, said: "The team was set up in Accrington because the resources were made available to us not because of a dramatic increase in the number of burglaries but it is proving to be a success.

"Since February 1, 25 people have been arrested, 39 offences detected and we have recovered a lot of the property which is very important."

Two properties which were burgled in the last month have had all of the stolen goods returned to them to a total value of £5,000.

The team uses a number of tactics to try to reduce burglary in the town including visiting known offenders to let them know they are being watched, targeting burglary "hotspot" areas with extra patrols and plain clothes investigations.

Officers are also liaising with forensic teams and second-hand dealers with the aim of reducing and detecting burglaries and offenders.

At the time of the Accrington launch Det Sgt Paul Broxson said: "This is a dedicated team responsible for clamping down on burglary in Accrington and we will leave no stone unturned in our investigations.

"Every burglary will be thoroughly investigated and we will be targeting known offenders to let them know we are watching them.

"The message for burglars in Accrington is you will be caught."