Over the last two months the four men have been given jail terms of between two and four years for these offences at Newcastle Crown Court.

Inspector Paul Young, of the Killingworth Neighbourhood Policing Team of North Tyneside area command, said: "We know that burglary is a crime which worries residents and we want people to know that we take these offences seriously and do all we can to bring offenders to justice.

"These recent court cases show that we do have considerable success in tackling burglary and we want to reassure people that this work will continue."

Those sentenced were:

• A 36-year-old Washington man convicted of burglary to a house in Benton, 11 counts of fraud and other offences and sentenced to 32 months in prison on December 21, 2009


• A 39-year-old man of no fixed address convicted of three burglaries, one count of handling stolen goods and another burglary was taken into account by the court on January 15, 2010, he was sentenced to four years


• A 19-year-old Newcastle man convicted of two burglaries in Killingworth and theft of a vehicle on January 26, 2010 and sentenced to 29 months, and


• A 29-year-old Killingworth man convicted of a burglary in Killingworth, an attempted burglary and other offences and sentenced to two years on January 29, 2010.

These burglaries took place across the Killingworth area and included some cases where the criminal forced his way in to the home but in other cases the door was left unlocked because the householder simply forgot to lock up.

Inspector Young added: "We want to remind residents to always make sure their home is kept securely locked at all times. In particular make sure you turn the lock on any UPVC doors.

"Don't make it easy for an opportunist thief to simply walk into your home through an open door.

"Total crime in the Killingworth area has reduced by 18% for the period October 1, to December 31, 2009, compared with the same period in 2008, but house burglary has shown a small increase, up two crimes, an eight per cent increase from 25 crimes to 27.

"We will do all we can to reduce this by continuing to focus on catching those responsible, but we also need your help too.

"Please remember if you see anyone acting suspiciously where you live then please ring your local neighbourhood policing team on 03456 043043 ext 69191. Your call could help us to prevent a crime."


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