John Phillips POLICE are going to war against burglars after figures revealed residential break-ins rocketed by 45 per cent last year. Det Chief Insp Ellie O Connor said tackling burglary was now the number one priority as statistics showed one home was broken into e

John Phillips

POLICE are going to war against burglars after figures revealed residential break-ins rocketed by 45 per cent last year.

Det Chief Insp Ellie O'Connor said tackling burglary was now "the number one priority" as statistics showed one home was broken into every two hours in the borough this weekend.

The recession and cheap internet burglar kits allowing people to "bump a door" in 30 seconds have been blamed for the increase from 875 in 2007 to 1,271 in the 12 months to January.

Mrs O'Connor said: "The theory is that the recession pushes people to commit crime they would not ordinarily do.