POLICE in St Helens have vowed to attend all reports of residential burglaries following a decision from police chiefs across the country.

Aware of the "devastating impact" a burglary can have on a homeowner, the decision follows Merseyside Police's longstanding approach to tackling the intrusive crime.

In St Helens and across Merseyside, police have a dedicated burglary team - Operation Castle - which has experienced detectives investigating residential burglaries and brings CSI teams to the residency.

Since 2018, the approach has slashed burglaries by 55% and secured convictions for offenders amounting to more than 600 collective years.

The success of Operation Castle has recently been cited in examples of good practice by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and now police forces across the country will follow in a similar vein.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley, at Merseyside Police said: “The force is committed to tackling burglary by not only maximising every opportunity to gather evidence, identify offenders and put them before the courts, but also through its partnership approach to prevention.

“This is why officers are despatched to all reports of a residential burglary and the attendance of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) is also requested.

"There are very few circumstances when an officer would not attend, for example if the person reporting is not engaging with officers, which can make it difficult to arrange a visit, or they have specifically asked that an officer does not attend. But even then, we would still explore opportunities for CSI to recover forensic evidence.

“The force is also committed to supporting victims; ensuring they know where they can obtain emotional and practical support, and where appropriate, referring victims to specialist support services to help them cope and recover.

“I have been a police officer for 30 years and during my service, I have seen the devastating impact that a burglary can have on the victims of this appalling invasion of privacy.

"It can be much more than the damage caused, the mess made, and the items stolen. The impact can be immeasurable and incredibly personal with the thought that someone has been in your home, the tainting of memories and a sense of fear that can take considerable time to overcome.

"I have also been subject to a burglary in my own home and know first-hand the lasting impact this intrusion had on my family.”

In cases of burglarly, dashcam or CCTV footage is said to be vital in putting offenders behind bars. 

You can upload this via the police online portal here, while any other information you think is useful via our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also pass information via Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org