Hello and welcome to the latest Police blog from me, Inspector Mark Baines at Burnley Police Station.

This week I want to talk about burglary and what local residents can do to prevent becoming a victim of theft.

We're currently experiencing a small rise in burglary and in response, we have launched a special burglary reduction initiative.

As part of this intiative, officers are working extrmely hard to combat thefts and to protect local people and property. For example, in addition to normal patrol officers, we now have a special team of officers targeting suspected offenders and we've recently secured a number of lengthy prison sentences for burglary offenders.

However, the one thing that we really need to achieve if we are to put a stop to burglary offences is to simply get people to lock their doors.

It saddens me greatly that the vast majority of burglary offences we attend have happened because a door or window has been left insecure. Possessions have been lost and homes intruded unnecessarily.

So the whole purpose of this week's blog is to reassure you that Police are taking action to tackle burglary, with a good degree of success, but also to advise you of what you can do to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of this type of crime. Here goes:

• Always lock your doors and windows when you leave your house and definitely at night
• If you have a house alarm, use it - it's a visible and audible deterrent
• If you are leaving the house empty for an evening out, leave a light on, make it look occupied
• Mark all your valuable items with a UV marker so if the worst happens and property is stolen, there's a better chance of being reunited with it down the line
• Keep car keys and valuable possessions out of sight so they don't tempt an opportunitist thief.

Inspector Mark Baines
Burnley Police

Drug dealers in Burnley were dealt a major blow this week by myself and colleagues across the force.

 

On Monday 8 June we arrested and charged 12 people in connection with the supply of Class A drugs following a series of raids on address in the Burnley Wood, Trinity, Bank Hall and Daneshouse and Stoneyholme areas of the town.

The raids – which coincide with National Tackling Drugs Week - were carried out as part of Operation Nimrod.

The operation was the culmination of months of evidence gathering on alleged drug dealing in the town and we are now working closely with everyone who plays a part in preventing crime, dealing with crime and working with offenders to make sure both the causes and consequences of drug-related crime in our town are tackled.

The operation began at 8am when personnel carriers and other police vehicles left Burnley Football Club - quite a site for those queueing for their season tickets!

Alongside myself and other colleagues here at Burnley were specialist officers including detectives, search and arrest teams, dog handlers and financial investigators.
Present too, were Neighbourhood Policing Officers whose job it was to speak to local residents and tell them about the positive action we are taking to address concerns about drug related crime in our local communities.

The operation sits alongside our ongoing campaign to tackle serious acquisitive crimes like burglary and vehicle crime which are often committed to fund a drugs habit.

I'd like to hear from anyone who witnessed the raids to find out what they think about our action and myself and colleagues here at Burnley Police would also like to hear from anyone with information about other drug dealers.

I can reassure you that drug related crime won't be tolerated - we will take action.

Well, it's been a very busy week so far with elections and Operation Nimrod so that's all from me for now - catch you next time.

Inspector Mark Baines
Geographic inspector
Burnley

Next week 36,000 Burnley FC fans will travel to Wembley to see if their beloved clarets can secure a place in the play offs.

Here at Burnley Police, we too, are caught up in all the excitement and we've been busy planning for the great occassion.

We have three main priorities.

The first is making sure that fans get off to Wembley safely. That's why anyone taking a coach from the town can expect to see extra officers when they depart from Burnley.

Secondly, we want to make sure that people leaving their homes and cars behind to travel to the match come back to find them safe and secure. To that end, we have been giving out crime prevention literature to fans buying club merchandise and those queuing for tickets. We have also been issuing advice via the media about making sure doors and windows are not left insecure in the rush to leave the house and about making sure that any cars left in Burnley by people travelling by coach are parking securely with no valuable items left on view.

Our final challenge is ensuring that those who want to celebrate (or commiserate) after the match can do so safely. We've already visited known trouble makers and we've talked to licensees in the town about their responsibilities. We've also ensured that we will have extra officers out and about on patrol so that if people do get a little too carried away or start to cause problems, we can respond swiftly.

Yes, it's been a busy week but public safety is always of paramount importance to us which is why so much planning has been done and why so many officers will be on duty on the big day. Many of them will be Burnley fans themselves so spare a thought for them missing the match!

That's all for my blog for now, I'll sign off by saying good luck to Burnley FC. To see them win will be fantastic for their legions of fans and for the town itself.

Inspector Mark Baines
Burnley Police

Hello and welcome to the very first Burnley Police bobby blog written by me, Mark Baines, Geographic Operations Inspector for the borough of Burnley.

Through this regular blog, I hope to tell you a little bit more about what’s going on to tackle crime and disorder in Burnley and also give you some practical hints and tips about what you can do to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim of crime.

This first blog co-incides with the start of the financial year so it’s no surprise that I want to share with you news of our performance over the past financial year - and it’s good news!

With help from the public and partner agencies, we’ve once again managed to reduce all crime in Burnley making the borough an even safer place for people to live in, work in and visit.

We’ve also managed to reduce anti-social behaviour and criminal damage which is good news for those of you who, quite rightly, like to enjoy a quiet night in from time to time!

Of course, the challenge for us now it so maintain these crime figures – which are amongst the lowest ever recorded and for that, we need your help!

We always need information and assistance from the public so if you have any information on criminal activity which you’d like to pass on to us at Burnley Police Station then please give us a call or if you want to remain anonymous do it through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can also help by coming along to PACT meetings, details of which you will find on our new website at www.lancashire.police.uk . These meetings give you a chance not just have your say on policing but to really influence how officers spend their time and to help decide what problems they will tackle.

Of course the simplest way to pass on information to us is to speak to your local Neighbourhood Policing Officer when he is on the beat or to leave a message for them by calling 01282 472107. As part of the new Policing Pledge, if you do this, we promise we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Well, that’s all from me for now. If there are any burning issues you want me to talk about in my next blog, do let me know.

Regards

Inspector Mark Baines