NINETY-FIVE per cent of domestic burglaries in Barnoldswick are being committed by a few individuals already well-known to the police.

Sgt Chris Saville, in charge of the town's policing, said this week he was now convinced of that fact, adding that he and his officers were actively targeting those individuals.

Recently there has been a spate of opportunist "sneak-in" type burglaries in the town, in which offenders have entered houses through insecure doors, usually back doors, while the occupants of the house are in another room.

The stolen goods are usually small items such as handbags, purses and mobile phones that can be snatched away in a moment.

"I am convinced that the majority of this type of crime in Barnoldswick is down to a few individuals and we will be actively targeting those known offenders as vigorously and robustly as the law allows," said Sgt Saville.

On Monday morning he and two other officers, Insp Martin Holleran and a community beat officer, forced entry to a house in the Long Ing area of town and arrested two men.

A mobile phone stolen in a sneak-in burglary the previous evening and a hi-fi system stolen in a previous burglary in the town were recovered in a search of the house. One of the men was found hiding in the divan unit of a bed.

Later one of the two men was released without charge and the other was due to appear in court today (Friday).

Sgt Saville stressed domestic burglary was his number one priority in the town and his officers treated it with paramount importance. He appealed to local people to alert the police to any suspicious behaviour, especially youths and young men hanging around secluded back streets.

He also reiterated previous advice to householders to make sure their doors and windows are secure, even when they are at home.

Meanwhile, extra police officers are being deployed into crime hot spots across the Pennine Division - which includes West Craven - as part of a special operation to crack down on car crime, burglary and street theft.

Operation Force Field, which began this week, involves officers carrying out more high visibility and undercover patrols as well as targeting suspected offenders.

Chief Inspector Richard Morgan said: "Crime has fallen by 5.9 per cent since April, however over the past few weeks we have seen an increase in some categories of crime, particularly burglary, vehicle crime and theft.

"By flooding selected areas with extra officers at key times we hope not only to deter offenders, but also to significantly raise the risk of those who do offend being caught."