RESIDENTS are being urged to make sure they are reporting suspicious incidents as police reassured them they are working hard to catch those responsible for a recent spate of burglaries.

As reported, there has been a spike in burglaries in the north of the borough in recent months.

In areas such as Bromley Cross and Harwood, thieves have been breaking into houses, stealing keys and taking high value cars.

At tonight's Bromley Cross Area Forum, PC Nicola Holt, spoke to residents about the incidents and also asked for their assistance.

She said: "Operations are currently ongoing and we are hopeful you should see something happen in the near future.

"These criminals are breaking into houses through unsecured doors and finding car keys and going out and stealing cars.

"They are mainly going after cars. They have got in on occasion through patio doors and windows that have not been shut.

"An operation is ongoing and we are hopeful that we will get everyone involved arrested."

Police have increased patrols in the areas affected as they carry out an investigation into the circumstances behind the break-ins.

At the meeting, PC Holt urged people to help them in the investigation by reporting any and all incidents, no matter how difficult it might be.

She said : "We are missing a lot of incidents. We have had 14 burglaries since September 1 in Bromley Cross. This may seem like a lot but it is not really.

"There are difficulties sometimes to report a crime. Sometimes 101 is not especially easy. People are still reporting crime though.

"What we are seeing is if you see someone on CCTV trying your car door or your house door, we are not getting this reported. Everything needs to be reported."

The increase in burglaries has been seen in the area since June and police have also offered crime prevention advice as a result.

During one night of burglaries in September, a Volkswagen Golf worth more than £18,000, a black Audi valued at around £7,000 and a Honda Civic worth around £10,000 were all taken from the Harwood and Bradshaw area.

Anyone with information about any incident is asked to call police on 101.