A DRIVE to reduce house burglaries will be discussed at three meetings in Hartlepool this week.

Community safety strategy officer Alison Mawson will be speaking on the subject at Hartlepool Borough Council's police and community safety consultative forums in the north, centre and south of the town.

She said: "I intend to explain some of the anti-burglary measures being proposed by the Hartlepool Community Safety Partnership, including the installation of more alley gates and work with repeat victims.

"I will also be stressing some of the simple preventative measures residents themselves can take."

The first meeting, the north Police and Community Safety Forum, will be held tomorrow at the Avondale Centre, in Dyke House School, at 10am.

This will be followed by the Central Police and Community Safety Consultative Forum, in Committee Room B at the Civic Centre, at 10am on Thursday, and the south forum at Greatham Community Centre, at 10am on Friday.

There will be updates on Neighbourhood Watch issues at each meeting as well as reports from the police and fire brigade.

The meetings will end with a question-and-answer session.