CRIMEBUSTING stickers are being offered to Neighbourhood Watch members in Kidderminster in a fresh bid to beat the burglar.

The barcode stickers contain address and postcode information and are hard to remove once they have been put on household items like televisions and computers.

They were introduced last year and police in Kidderminster are extending their use in partnership with community groups.

"We welcome this initiative to work alongside the police," said Adrian Beavis, chairman of Wyre Forest Neighbourhood Watch Association. "It's a real bonus for us and we aim to get all 5,000 of our members taking part."

The £5,000 Zebra machine was provided last year by Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership after successful trials in other Midlands areas.

Police have already taken the machine to some Neighbourhood Watch meetings and open days and plan to extend the scheme throughout Wyre Forest.

Outdoor equipment, including cycles and lawnmowers can also be protected with the stickers, which also help in returning stolen property to its owner.

Sergeant John Elliott, of Kidderminster police, said it was an excellent example of the police working with the local community to reduce crime.

"We hope Neighbourhood Watch members will take full advantage," he said. "It's hard to measure how successful this has been since it was introduced in July last year but we're pleased with it.

"Burglaries are going down and it all helps to cut crime."

Members of the public who are not in Neighbourhood Watch can also have the stickers produced by contacting police for an appointment.