CONGRATULATIONS to York police. Officers take a lot of stick, but today they have scored a real victory in the fight against crime. That deserves our recognition and thanks.

Burglary rates city-wide have fallen by almost 40 per cent in the past three months. In South Bank, the reduction is an astonishing 70 per cent. That translates to about 40 fewer break-ins in that area. As for the heartache saved, it is impossible to quantify.

In the words of Safer York Partnership director Jane Mowat, South Bank householders "are now enjoying a safer environment". Residents can go out and return without the lurching fear that their home might have been burgled in the meantime.

This success is a combination of intelligence-led, technology-based and community-aware policing. The intelligence pinpointed South Bank as a neighbourhood vulnerable to the serial housebreaker.

In a pioneering move, officers then set up CCTV cameras inside homes considered at risk from burglars. This has had no effect on the detection rate - not a single offender has been caught on film. But the cameras have proved to be a remarkable deterrent, and prevention is always better than cure.

And throughout the campaign, officers have liaised closely with residents and ward councillors, and sent out crime prevention packs.

There is little doubt that York does not have its fair share of police resources. However, the South Bank burglary crackdown proves what can be achieved when the available resources are marshalled astutely.

Updated: 11:05 Thursday, May 20, 2004