BURGLARIES in Thanet have been plummeting since a tough tactics burglary reduction team took to the streets of the isle two weeks ago.

Eight constables and a sergeant have been assigned solely to harass burglars and to reduce burglaries in Thanet, while a team of four detectives and a detective sergeant deal with burglars once they’ve been arrested.

In the 10 weeks prior to the team starting, Thanet suffered an average of 23 burglaries a week. However, in the first week of operation, the team lead a huge reduction in burglaries, with only 13 in the first and second weeks – a drop of almost 43 per cent each week.

Det Sgt Neil Buchanan said the tough tactics of the burglary reduction team had been a key reason behind the reductions.

He said: "The frontline officers working on this team patrol the isle for the sole purpose of catching burglars and handlers of stolen goods.

"They make life difficult for burglars by stopping, searching and arresting them at every justified opportunity. They are all very proactive officers and actively seek out people committing burglars."

He said the burglary team had been created because of a steady increase in the number of house burglaries over the past six months.