PERSISTENT offenders will be named and shamed in a new anti-burglary scheme targeting Burnley, announced today by Home Secretary Jack Straw.

Thirty pilot projects were announced across the country with two in the Burnley areas of Stoneyholme/Daneshouse and Burnley Wood.

The £50million three-year 'beat the burglar' campaign will cover two million homes in 500 crime hot spots.

Pennine Division, which covers the town, has the highest number of house break-ins in Lancashire. Many homes are burgled a second time shortly after the first offence

One measure in the £60,000 schemes is to name and shame persistent criminals by publishing their photographs alongside court reports of their convictions, and possibly putting posters with names and faces in areas where persistent offenders live.

Other steps include an initiative to encourage offenders not to return to crime, establishing a drugs outreach service, forming a network to help victims get together, extending youth projects, improving lighting and alley safety and improving basic home security.

Pennine Division community safety sergeant John Edmondson said: "This new scheme will learn from projects the past and be adopting a long-term approach to reducing crime. We will be mobilising the community so that when the money runs out the community will be equipped to continue the work which has been started."

Mr Straw said: "I am delighted that the Lancashire area is one of the first 30 areas to be chosen to receive our support. "Many readers of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph will recall that sickening feeling of returning home to find their video or TV gone, their belongings tampered with and items of sentimental value either damaged or stolen.

"This is why burglary is such a nasty crime. It strikes at the decent values we hold so dear."

Under the Safer Cities crime prevention partnership, crime-busting initiatives in Burnley targeted the Burnley Wood and South West Burnley areas.

The Burnley Wood scheme led to burglaries being cut by 24 per cent and after five months of the scheme in South West Burnley, recorded crime went down 32 per cent, thefts from houses dropped by 87 per cent and burglary by seven per cent.

Anti-crime initiatives are still in place in South West Burnley funded by government money.

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