Male arrested following five burglaries in Rainford

A male has been arrested following five burglaries in the Rainford area earlier this month.

A report was received on 15 January that a number of mobile phones were taken during a burglary at a house on Heyes Avenue between 4.45pm-7pm.

The following day a burglary was reported at Church Road, believed to have happened between 4.20-6pm. A rear door had been forced and offenders had made an untidy search of the property, taking jewellery and keys.

The rear door of a house on Pilkington Street was broken into at about 4.20pm the same day and jewellery, watches and cash from a bedroom stolen.

It was also reported a house on Holly Crescent was targeted at around 4.50pm on 16 January, with a side door forced and a watch and car key stolen.

A homeowner returned to their home on Higher Lane at around 9.10pm on the same date to find entry had been forced to a balcony door and handbags, jewellery and perfume taken from a bedroom.

A 16-year-old male from St Helens was arrested on suspicion of five burglaries and has been released under investigation.

Enquiries into all five incidents are ongoing.

Detective Inspector Andy McCourt said: "We will continue Operation Castle, our ongoing response to burglary offences across Merseyside, to pursue and put before the courts anyone suspected of being involved in burglary offences in our communities as well as preventing further offences.

“Since Op Castle began last March, we have seen offenders jailed for a total of nearly 120 years and have seen a large reduction in the number of burglaries being committed and an increase in those being detected.

“We are quickly deploying to burglaries in progress and arresting wanted offenders, as well as providing a visible presence at the heart of our communities and passing on crime prevention advice to homeowners, and will continue to build on the successes we have had since Op Castle started in March.

"If you see or hear anyone acting suspiciously close to homes or businesses, let us know and we will work alongside our partners in finding those responsible."

Anyone with information on burglary is asked to call 999 if a crime is in progress, contact @MerPolCC, or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111.