POLICE have appointed super-sleuths in a bid to further reduce County Durham's already low house burglary rate.

A team of six trained burglary support officers will lead investigations into every domestic break-in.

The Durham force hopes to build up detailed knowledge of the villains' way of operating and a "sixth sense" that will help to catch more culprits.

The officers, who have been given particular areas to work, have been schooled in crime scene management, forensic awareness and crime prevention.

The force's policy is to send an officer to each reported house burglary, although they may be in the middle of a busy shift or unable to follow through the investigation because of work patterns.

The force's head of CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Scott, said: "Local knowledge is absolutely crucial and, by going to every burglary scene within their area, they will recognise patterns and similarities that will ultimately help track down those responsible.

"Once it has been established a crime has been committed, the burglary support officers will take over.

"They will carry out a thorough investigation, follow up leads, take statements, identify lines of inquiry that will recover stolen property and give the victims regular updates.

"They will also offer crime prevention advice to make sure those whose homes have been violated do not become repeat victims.

"During the whole of last year the 2,802 burglaries committed in the Durham Constabulary area represented an all-time low.

"By improving the quality of investigations and arresting more suspects we believe it will lead to further reductions. At the same time, our service to victims will increase significantly."

Mr Scott added that house burglars "had something different about them" as not all of thieves felt confident about breaking into a house.

"House burglars are not a rare breed, but are often criminals who favour that type of offence," he said

"For every arrest made, the chances are that similar break-ins are prevented from happening.

"These new burglary support officers, who will have crime scene investigators working alongside them, will provide continuity of investigation in an area of what is largely a specialised crime."