Kirkholt residents get smart on burglary

A police campaign has seen burglaries in Kirkholt reduced by 40%.

A 'smart water initiative', which saw officers visit every home on the estate and conduct smart water property marking, was well received by residents and police say that burglary in Kirkholt has been reduced dramatically.

There have been 963 homes that have accepted smart water property marking, while over a three month period from November to February there were 17 burglaries in the area, compared with 28 over the same period last year.

Inspector Michelle Hughes said: "We believe that this figure is due to the benefits of smart water, and the effectiveness it has when a high percentage of residents have taken up the product in an area."

The Rochdale Township put in £40,000 to fund the Smartwater kits in this target area and chairman Councillor William Hobhouse is delighted with the early results. "The police put in a great deal of time to see whether they could dramatically shift the level of burglary in the area," he said. "I am delighted that early results are positive. Smartwater is designed to be a long term tool to catch burglars, so I hope that this investment into Kirkholt will pay dividends over many years.

"The Smartwater initiative has been a great example of the police, the Township and the community working in partnership."