A SCHEME to reduce burglaries in one of the poorest parts of Bexley and activity to make the borough’s buses safer have been shortlisted for a top award.

The two projects, from Bexley police teams, could put them in line for a top prize in the Safer London Problem Orientated Partnership (POP) awards.

Erith Safer Neighbourhoods Team targeted burglaries because it had the highest rate of break-ins in the borough.

But research established most of the burglaries ocurred in just five roads in the ward.

The team discovered the methods used in the break-ins were similar and had possible links with a series of crimes in 2007.

They went on to identify 10 potential suspects.

Working with a series of other organisations, including youth offending teams, probation officers, the prison service and Bexley Council, the policing team put into place a series of initiatives.

These included using SmartWater to mark property in nearly 500 homes and use of a drug detection device to obtain warrants for burglars’ addresses.

As a result of their efforts, burglaries in the five roads dropped from 27 in the first six months of the operation to just one in the second six months.

And a survey of more than 300 Erith residents ranked burglary as only their ninth priority.

Also shortlisted is Bexley’s Safer Transport team for its work in making buses a safer and more pleasant way of travelling.

Officers researched the daily driver incident reports and identified criominal damage, fraud and forgery by young people and disturbances again mainly by young people and the most reported crimes.

The reports also identified the most problematic areas.

Working with other organisations, including Transport for London’s Bustag unit, they reduced bus related crime by 33 per cent between September 2008 and August 2009.

Bus related crime in Bexleyheath Broadway also fell by 53 per cent during the same period.

The winners of the POP awards, run by the Met Police Authority, Met Police and Safer London Foundation, will be announced on February 22.