A pilot project to help prolific offenders rebuild their lives and steer clear of crime after prison has helped York Police record a decrease in the number of burglaries for the second year running.

Police chiefs say 101 fewer people suffered a burglary over the past year, with almost a five per cent drop in domestic break-ins overall.

The ground-breaking £100,000 Probation Service monitoring scheme, which saw burglaries fall by a third when it was introduced in October last year, has been extended indefinitely.

Of the first five people who took part, including one individual who had previously netted £120,000 during 21 raids, none re-offended, as far as the police were aware.

Chief Superintendent John Lacy, York and Selby area commander, said although 338 people were arrested for burglary over the past year, successful schemes such as this were creating long-term benefits.

But he added that York still suffers a much higher rate of burglaries than comparable cities. For example, York recorded 25 burglaries per thousand households last year, while Bath had just over 16.

He said: "We have a long way to go, but the continuous downward trend reflects a lot of hard work, not only from officers, but by the many agencies involved in crime reduction."

The scheme saw probation workers, police officers and health care professionals working closely with a small number of persistent offenders to help them rebuild their lives after prison.

Chief Supt Lacy said advances in forensic science, the work of the Safer York Partnership (SYP) and the continuing pressure on property developers to build more secure houses was also having an effect.

He said: "Despite all these initiatives and advances, one of the major factors in crime detection is the straightforward leads that we get from members of the public."

Senior probation officer Sarah Wardley, of North Yorkshire Probation Service, said the project was so successful organisers felt they an "obligation to the York community" to continue it.

She said: "I think we have a duty to those people who might well be victims of crime. This kind of impact in reducing crime improves not just burglary statistics but the economy as whole."

She added: "On face value it looks expensive, but when you look how much it saves in house burglaries, in terms of insurance claims and damage, and the distress it causes to victims, it is not expensive at all."

Safer York Partnership director Jane Mowat said: "Burglary is a horrible experience for anyone to go through, yet there are still householders who continue to ignore the most basic security advice."

She added that although the overall reduction in burglary was encouraging, Safer York Partnership hoped to reduce it further by driving home the message that residents should always secure their properties.

Updated: 10:49 Tuesday, July 08, 2003