Two men arrested following burglaries in Sefton

Two men have been arrested in connection with reports of attempted burglaries committed earlier this month in Crosby.

Yesterday, Tuesday 18 February, officers were on patrol when they stopped a grey BMW car on Strand Road in Bootle. As a strong smell of cannabis was emanating from the vehicle a search was carried out where a device used for scanning car keys and tracking vehicles were found.

Officers also found clothing which was suspected to have been worn in three attempted house burglaries in Crosby the week before.

Two men, a 25-year-old from Ainsdale and a 21-year-old from Crosby, have been arrested on suspicion three counts of Attempted burglary and Going equipped for Theft. They are still in police custody for questioning.

Detective Inspector Kevin O'Rourke who heads the Burglary Team (Operation Castle), said: “While we have made these two arrests our enquiries continue to bring those responsible to justice.

"To target someone in their home in this way is utterly despicable and can have a massive impact on victims.

“We launched a dedicated operation, Operation Castle, in 2018 to reinforce our commitment to tackling burglaries in the region which has led to year-on-year reductions in burglaries across Merseyside, sparing many residents the pain of being subjected to a burglary.

“We continue to pursue those who violate the privacy of people’s homes in this callous way, and bring offenders to justice and prevent further burglaries.

“Key to us putting offenders behind bars is information from our communities so, please, come forward and tell us what you know and we can take action.”

We have a dedicated burglary team called Operation Castle, who focus on hotspot areas and particular types of burglary.

A dedicated portal where people can send CCTV, smart doorbell or dashcam footage of suspicious activity in your area but don’t know if it is linked to a specific offence. It can be uploaded here: https://unitedkingdom1cpp-portal.digital-policing.co.uk/merseyside/appeal/castle

Your footage will be reviewed for potential links to reported offences in your area and may help us gather evidence to solve burglaries and bring offenders to justice.

You can also report any concerns to police on 999 if a crime is in progress, via 101, or via X @MerPolCC.