Police have launched a bid to get people in a crime-hit area of Shipley to wage war against criminals by forming Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Leaflets encouraging residents and tenants to help the police are being delivered to hundreds of homes in the Leeds Road and West Royd areas in a bid to get more schemes set up.

PC Andy Tate - beat manager for Leeds Road and West Royd - said although his patch included about 3,000 homes there were only seven Neighbourhood Watch schemes with a total of less than 100 members. But in Baildon, which is of a similar size, there are 60 watches.

He said: "The area from Carr Lane up to Thackley has only seven schemes and most of them are very small ones so we're trying to encourage people to set up a lot more.

"We have got a problem with burglaries in that area at the moment and at the end of the day we need people to help us help them.

"Neighbourhood Watch schemes do work - they get people to be more vigilant and provide a free-flowing two-way exchange of information between their members and the police.''

Figures for Beat 17, which includes Leeds Road and West Royd, show burglaries have jumped. Between May and November last year an average of seven house burglaries were committed every month but there have already been 22 since the start of December.

The number of recorded garage and shed break-ins has risen from an average of three a month to seven.

PC Tate added: "We're trying to get away from the image of neighbourhood watch being all about nosy neighbours and large formal groups.''

The policeman said as a result of the 300-odd leaflets delivered so far 15 householders had formed a new scheme covering Cherry Tree Gardens and Windhill Old Road.

Anyone wanting more information about setting up a scheme should call PC Tate on (01274) 537441 or PC Chris Rogers-Thomas on (01274) 376041.

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