Police in Kenilworth say they need the public to help them catch criminals - by making sure they report all crimes.

Speaking at the most recent Kenilworth Community Forum, PCSO Craig Ricardo implored residents to make sure they alert police to all incidents, no matter how small.

He also encouraged locals to install camera door bells, and put security timers on their lights at home.

His words came after a spike in burglaries locally in January.

"We need help, we the police need help. If we aren't told about things, we cannot act," PCSO Ricardo told the forum.

"I am not naive, I am not silly. These are stats of crimes reported.

"There are a lot more crimes than what you can see, but people don't report them. 

"People stop me in the street all the time to say 'did you hear about so and so, they got done the other day' and I ask 'did they report it?'

"The answer is always no. We get this all the time."

Locals were also told that a new initiative, Operation Castle, had been launched to put officers on the streets between the hours of 8pm and 4pm, particularly to combat break ins.

PCSO Ricardo added: "It is one of my worst jobs to go round to houses that have been burgled. 

"You see the house has been tipped upside down, and you see how upset the residents are. 

"I have then got to stand there and give security advice because 99 times out of 100, if they have gone away, they haven't prepared themselves. 

"It is a cruel world we are in."