A SENIOR York detective responsible for cutting burglaries in the city is frustrated with residents who leave their homes wide open to criminals.

Detective Sergeant Steve Taylor said his burglary squad, the only one of its kind in North Yorkshire, is making a real difference by tackling prolific burglars who operate in York.

But he fears doors and windows left open by residents enjoying the warmer weather will invite opportunist thieves, and cause the number of burglaries to increase once more. New figures reveal that house burglary reports in York dropped by almost a third to 157 in March this year, compared with 231 raids in March 2003.

Det Sgt Taylor said: "We are trying our hardest to cut the number of burglaries, but it is disappointing when we find people have been targeted for leaving their doors wide open. It is upsetting to find that someone has walked in to your home and snatched your handbag or purse while you were in the garden.

"But it is devastating to find that someone has smashed down your door and trashed your home while you were out. We need to spend our time investigating this type of criminal."

He added that the most recent figures for house burglaries in York over the past two weeks show that the number of crimes has been cut by half. North Yorkshire Police has set tough targets for reducing domestic burglaries further this year, with officers expected to slash the number or raids in York to just 29 a week.

Two crack cocaine addicts who stole thousands of pounds worth of possessions to feed their habits were yesterday jailed for two years at York Crown Court after admitting a string of burglaries.

Kevin Cumberland and Tony Gray, both aged 19, targeted homes in the city. The court heard how Cumberland made off with goods and a car worth £12,500 from one home while the owners slept.

Carole Patrick, of the Safer York Partnership, said sneak-in burglaries were hard to investigate because the culprits often leave little forensic evidence and do not need to carry tools.

But she said residents could take a few simple measures, including locking their doors, securing windows and not leaving valuables on show, to make themselves less attractive to criminals.

Updated: 10:39 Thursday, April 15, 2004