RESIDENTS in a York community are being encouraged to "pass the pen" as part of a police campaign to curb a recent rise in burglaries.

The South Bank area of the city saw a sudden surge in the number of break-ins over the weekend. In an effort to deter the thieves, and to help reunite owners with stolen valuables, the police have mounted a major property-marking drive.

Officers took to the streets to deliver security marking pens and instructions to the first house in each street.

Residents were urged to use the pens, which write in invisible ink that can only be seen under ultra-violet light, and then pass them on to their next-door neighbour, and so on.

Sergeant Dave Sutcliffe, who is leading the initiative, said: "We are encouraging people to 'pass the pen'. One stereo system looks the same as the next one, but if property is marked we stand a much better chance of tracing the owner if it is stolen and recovered. It also acts as a deterrent to thieves if they know property in the area is marked."

He said the exercise would also get neighbours talking to each other, which should boost community spirit against crime in the area.

Another aspect of the campaign is that it meant a team of uniformed officers was on the streets of South Bank as a visible deterrent to thieves.

The recent surge in break-ins has seen thieves using back alleys to approach homes before breaking into them, mainly through windows at the rear. In most cases the occupants have been out, and police believe burglars will have knocked on doors beforehand to check if anyone was home.

The officers will return to the area after about a week to see how well the pen passing scheme has worked.

Updated: 14:59 Wednesday, March 13, 2002