A CAMPAIGN to combat sneak burglars has been launched with the help of a new crimebuster in the Tees Valley.

Promotional character Willie Walkin joined Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond to unveil the new initiative, which aims to slash burglaries.

About 40 per cent of break-ins in Hartlepool are committed by criminals who take advantage of unlocked doors and windows to enter homes while the occupants are inside.

Police believe that by simply locking doors at all times - including when residents are home - the number of burglaries will plummet.

The campaign, which was launched in Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, hopes to raise awareness about sneak thieves, as well as offer free practical advice.

Mr Drummond said: "Statistics show that walk-in burglaries account for nearly 40 per cent of all break-ins that occur in the town, so this campaign has the potential to really make an impact. We feel that the use of the Willie Walkin character is an eye-catching way of focusing people's minds on what is a very serious issue."

Detective Chief Inspector Gordon Lang, Hartlepool Police crime manager, said it took just a second for someone to walk through the door of a house and pick up a wallet or purse left nearby.

"I would like to appeal to everyone to make sure their homes cannot be targeted by walk-in thieves," he said.

"The more work a would-be intruder has to do to get into a house, the less likely they are to break in."