The number of house break-ins across Bradford has fallen by 30 per cent in the last year, with offences slashed by more than half in some areas of the city.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show there were 5,503 dwelling burglaries in the Bradford area in 2011, but only 2,837 reported in the first ten months of 2012.

And a breakdown of the number of offences in each ward area reveals that in the city centre, Idle and Thackley and Great Horton, break-ins were down by around 50 per cent.

West Yorkshire Police said tackling burglary was a “top priority” in Bradford, where the overall number of burglary offences has reduced by 30 per cent.

And Detective Chief Inspector Peter Craig, of Bradford South Police, said the number of break-ins was continuing to fall at the same rate thanks to “preventative and proactive” police initiatives – including an anti-burglary campaign, working with offenders and targeting patrols.

Councillors in the three areas of the city with the greatest fall in burglaries praised police for their actions.

Coun Nazam Azam (Lab, City) thanked Insp Victoria Lawrance, who took over the City neighbourhood policing team last May, for the fall from 222 break-ins in the ward area in 2011 to just 92 in the first ten months of 2012.

He said: “She and her team have worked extremely hard and these figures show this.

“I would say 92 offences is still too many – one is too many – but I am confident this can be reduced further.”

Coun Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle) said she knew police in her ward area had been visiting the neighbours of burglary victims to make sure their properties were secure in a “target hardening” operation.

Figures show the number of offences in Idle and Thackley fell from 170 in 2011 to 62 in the first ten months of 2012.

“The figures are welcome and it’s good that people are improving security around their homes and that police are working with people to prevent burglary,” she said.

Coun John Godward (Lab, Great Horton) said there was “no room for complacency” after hearing that burglaries in his ward area fell from 359 in 2011 to 170 in the first ten months of 2012.

“I think a big part of the fall is down to the efficiency of the police coupled with the actions of people in the community.

“PCSOs are quickly taking up leads and arrests are being made which deters other burglars. But 170 people still suffered from the loss of their goods and will be affected forever more because they have been burgled.

“I hope this progress continues.”

Det Ch Insp Craig said it had run a campaign called ‘It Only Takes A Minute’ to warn people about the potential time it takes to become a victim of burglary and how quickly security measures can be introduced.

“It has seen information and advice distributed throughout our neighbourhoods and has made a significant impact in alerting people to the issues,” he added.

“On a proactive level, our focus is on offender management. This sees us working closely with agencies such as the probation service and housing providers, removing the potential for offenders to commit further crimes.”