A TEAM of specially-trained police officers will investigate every house break-in the county.

The team of hand-picked officers has been schooled in forensics, crime scene awareness and crime prevention in an attempt to arrest more thieves and recover more stolen property.

The Durham force has decided to make the scheme permanent with the appointment of four burglary support officers after a year-long pilot scheme proved successful.

Two of the officers will be based in the north and two in the south of the force areas and they will visit up to 600 house burglary scenes every year.

Head of CID Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Scott said: "By having the right people in the right job and by improving the quality of investigation I also believe more arrests and reductions in offending are possible.

"Burglary support officers are committed well-motivated individuals with an understanding of a particular type of crime.

"Their local knowledge is absolutely crucial and, by going to every house burglary scene, they have been able to recognise patterns of offending, identify targets and play a key role in the arrest of offenders."

Earlier this month, annual recorded crime figures confirmed that house burglaries in County Durham and Darlington had hit an all-time low.

Between April last year and the end of March this year, a total of 2,465 house break-ins were reported compared with 2,843 on the previous 12 months - a fall of 13 per cent and the lowest figure since the reorganisation of police boundaries 30 years ago.

House burglaries reached a record 7,782 in the mid-1990s.

In Darlington, in the past 12 months, house burglaries have fallen by 24 per cent and detection rates risen by 13 per cent.

Det Chief Supt Scott said: "The quality of service we provide to victims remains vitally important and it has been one of the immediate benefits from the experiment of the last year."

Yesterday, The Northern Echo reported how a new burglar-busting police team had been set up in Darlington to crack down on thieves.

The team of five officers will target known offenders in the town following a spate of crime, particularly thefts from homes and cars.