THE Operation Lancelot team has emphasised the importance of Crimestoppers in the fight against burglars.

Crimestoppers is an information gathering service where members of the public can pass information to the police about any crime.

A spokesman said: "In the North-East, members of the public have shown by the number of excellent calls they have made to the Crimestoppers freephone number that they genuinely want to help the police in the fight against crime.

"This system allows people to make a freephone telephone call knowing that it is both free and confidential.

"Every item of information given to the Crimestoppers unit is sent to the relevant police area and, where possible, is acted upon quickly."

Anyone wanting to help police fight crime can ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. The call is free and does not appear on telephone bills. Callers' identities will always remain anonymous and calls will never be traced.

In the event of someone being arrested and charged as a result of the information given, the caller could qualify for a cash reward.