A GROUNDBREAKING scheme to combat burglars has been set up in a North Yorkshire town.

Portable burglar alarms, which can be borrowed by Easingwold residents to guard their premises while they are unoccupied, have been purchased by neighbourhood watch co-ordinators to increase security.

The alarm systems were introduced by Bill Wood, Easingwold Local Area Policing Neighbourhood Watch Association chairman, who said they were proving very popular.

"We have now got to the situation where sometimes people want to borrow one and it is already booked - which is a great indicator of how people are beginning to use the system.

"We began the scheme to both raise awareness of the need to protect the home, and to provide a means of doing so, and this is a good way of doing that."

The systems are lent to residents across the Easingwold district free of charge, and are connected to the telephone line, alerting up to three telephone numbers selected by the user in case of emergency.

Mr Wood said: "It is a very good system, and does a lot to make people more secure when they leave their homes.

"This is a good way of trying to prevent crime, and also to prevent the fear of crime, which is also particularly important for us."

The scheme is part of efforts that have been made to improve neighbourhood security since the association was established last April.

The association held a busy first meeting this week, addressed by Chief Inspector Tim Madgwick, Hambleton district police co-ordinator.

He said: "Hambleton has a low level of household burglary and the area covered by Easingwold Local Area Policing is significantly lower, with some of the lowest levels recorded anywhere in the north-east region.

"The association is an excellent success so far, and has all our support.

"The burglar alarm system is also a very positive move. It is a fact that the more a home is protected the less likely it is to be burgled.

"Now this is very useful for people who are perhaps going away just for a short period of time, or who can't afford a full alarm system, to improve their home's safety."

Updated: 10:01 Friday, May 23, 2003