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A scheme to reduce burglaries in one of the poorest parts of the London Borough of Bexley has been shortlisted for a top award.

The project, run by Erith Safer Neighbourhood Team in Bexley could be in line for a top prize in the Safer London Problem Orientated Partnership (POP) awards. The Team targeted burglaries because it had the highest rate of break-ins in the borough and concentrated their efforts on five streets within the ward, where the majortiy of break-ins were occuring.

Working with a series of other organisations, including youth offending teams, probation officers, the prison service and Bexley Council, the policing team put into place a series of initiatives to help combat the problem. These included using SmartWater to mark property in nearly 500 homes and use of a drug detection device to obtain warrants for burglars’ addresses.

As a result of their efforts, burglaries in the five roads dropped from 27 in the first six months of the operation to just one in the second six months. And a survey of more than 300 Erith residents ranked burglary as only their ninth priority.