ORGANISERS behind Darlington's Neighbourhood Wardens scheme are looking to expand the project to eventually cover as much of the borough as possible.

Darlington Borough Council's scheme, which works in partnership with the police, has grown from one warden when it was launched in May last year, to ten, and has received praise on a regional and national level.

But while crime has reduced by up to 40 per cent in the areas it covers, this week, Darlington police announced a 43 per cent rise in house burglaries in the period from April, compared with the same time last year.

The council has said wardens cannot be moved from the areas they currently cover to other parts of the borough because of the way they are funded, with cash being awarded to run the scheme in specific areas.

But a spokesman said the authority was now bidding for more Government money to put extra wardens in more areas across Darlington, in the hope they will have a similar effect elsewhere.

"We bid for wardens for particular areas and those areas will be areas where the number of burglaries has been high," he said.

"The funding means that the wardens stay mostly to those areas.

"There are bids ongoing and different schemes are looking at how we can increase the number of wardens on the streets."

The wardens, who work out of the council's Gladstone Street offices, have a number of key aims and liaise regularly with Darlington police.

Their uniformed presence is aimed at acting as a deterrent to criminals and reassuring the public, while they are available to help and advise residents on crime prevention.

They have the power to arrest people if they see a crime in progress and have authority regarding offences such as dog fouling, illegal or missing car tax discs and littering.

It is also hoped they will deter young people from anti-social behaviour.

Durham Constabulary launched Operation Bullseye this week, a blitz on house burglaries, involving all 1,100 front-line uniformed officers.

Despite the 2000 to 2001 rise in Darlington burglaries, from 354 to 509 in the April to late November period, the division is enjoying its highest rate of detection, with charges or cautions made for one in four break-ins.

Anybody who would like crime prevention advice from wardens can telephone (01325) 346831.