Burglars beware - Operation Delta is after you

POLICE in Swindon have pledged to catch the drug addicts who they believe are responsible for escalating burglary rates in the town.

Officers have revealed that since February, household burglary rates in Swindon have increased from around 70 to 100 per month.

They believe that many of the culprits are heroin or crack cocaine addicts who have been released from prison and are offending again to buy drugs.

Now a specialist squad of 15 undercover officers has been tasked with snaring the thieves, who steal property worth tens of thousands of pounds every month.

Extra funds have been pumped into the unit, allowing officers to use the latest scientific advances in areas such as DNA analysis to catch the thieves.

The squad plans to mount a sophisticated operation, using covert surveillance techniques to compile evidence and make arrests.

The unit will be made aware once a convicted burglar is released from prison, and officers will keep a close watch on the offender if they believe they are likely to commit further offences.

Officers are confident that Operation Delta, as it is called, will start reducing burglary rates within three months.

The unit started work two weeks ago, and in that time 14 suspects have already been arrested.

Raids have also been carried out at three addresses in Swindon.

Property valued at more than £1,000 plus £1,500 worth of heroin was seized.

Detective Sergeant Ady Wys, who is heading the unit, said the rising figures were a concern because Swindon and the rest of Wiltshire has traditionally enjoyed relatively low burglary rates.

A Home Office survey released in February showed that the average figure for burglaries in Wiltshire is 9.5 per 1,000 households, compared to 12.7 per 1,000 households across seven similar counties.

DS Wys said: "The figures for Swindon are really quite good because historically we have had a low crime rate.

"The problem is that we have not had this many offences for three or four years.

"It is a significant rise and we find it unacceptable.

"We will be investigating offences that have happened over recent months and hopefully preventing future offences by targeting active burglars and locking them away at the earliest opportunity."

DS Wys explained how a burglary can affect someone's life.

He said: "It has a horrific affect, and it is fair to say that some people never get over it.

"What we will be doing is taking an impact statement from victims which will be presented in court so the magistrates or jurors know how the offence has affected someone's life."

Heroin and crack cocaine worth £50,000 is sold every day on the streets of Swindon to around 2,500 Class A drug addicts.

Users are often forced to burgle to fund their addiction.

The most common items which are stolen are electrical goods such as DVD players, televisions, computer games and stereos.

Addicts with severe problems may need to raise £50 per day.

A stolen DVD player might only sell for £15 or £20, so they need to steal several items to get enough cash.

The unit will also be cracking down on handlers who knowingly buy and sell stolen goods.

Pauline Barnes, project manager at Stepping Forward, which runs counselling programmes for drug users in Swindon, said addicts need to be given better treatment while in prison to stop them re-offending.

She said: "The trouble is that if an addict has been jailed for burglary they will often only serve a short sentence, which means they will not get access to a proper drug treatment programme.

"When they come out they are often homeless and the only people who will take them in are their drug using friends, so they inevitably end up back on drugs."

In June, the Evening Advertiser joined forces with the police to launch the Swindon Drugs Hotline.

So far nearly 100 people have called the line with information about suspected drug dealers.

The information helped police plan raids last month which resulted in 16 arrests.