A temporary crime prevention shop has paid dividends for Keighley police in their battle to make homes safer.

The information drop-in centre, which opened for a week in the Airedale Centre, has been hailed a success by officers.

Crime prevention officer PC Adrian Foyston says: "We came up with the idea of some sort of town centre initiative to provide members of the public with greater access to information.

"It has just been a case of waiting for the right premises. We've had a steady stream of about 50 people a day coming through the door and there has been a lot of interest about crime prevention and neighbourhood watch.

"There's been a lot more members of the public coming to see us than normal because they have been able to pop their heads around the corner and have a chat, rather than walking over to the station. It has allowed us to explain all aspects of security and demonstrate things at the same time, so, for example, we have been able to recommend a safety lock and show people what it looks like and how it works."

Architects, surveyors and planners were also invited to attend a conference on how to make new homes and more resistant to crime.

The Secure by Design partnership provides police with an input at the planning stages so they can help developers to 'design out crime.'

Joining PC Foyston during the crime-busting initiative were neighbourhood watch officer PC Steve Littlewood and Chris Slaven, community safety officer for Keighley SRB.

The scheme's effectiveness will be reviewed before officers decide whether or not to repeat it next year.

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