A BURGLAR who raided 100 homes in four weeks will be put under a tough regime of police supervision when he comes out of prison.

The man, who stole property valued at £100,000 in three years of house-breaking, will also receive training and help with any accommodation, family or drugs problems.

The offender is one of a group of criminals who are being targeted by the police and probation service in a new crackdown inspired by a Dutch scheme.

The Dordrecht Initiative, named after the town that devised the scheme, aims to force criminals to go straight.

They are closely monitored to ensure they do not return to crime and are given help with the possible causes of their offending.

The scheme has been running in Burnley since July. Specialist police and probation officers have been appointed and £100,000 has been set aside by Burnley council. Some 17 offenders have been referred to the scheme.

Burnley's police chief, Superintendent Mike Griffin, said: "Both Dordrecht and Burnley have problems with persistent offenders.

"They amazed us with their success in tackling this. If we can have similar success in turning criminals away from crime, we will see crime levels drop throughout Burnley."

A party from Dordrecht visits Burnley today (Thursday). The town's public order chief, Jolanda Kraaijeveld, said: "We are keen to see how our ideas have been implemented in Burnley."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.