A frail grandad told of the "nightmare" of being stabbed by a burglar who stole £1,000 he had been saving to move to a safer area, in a town where people live in constant fear of break-ins.
Blackpool has the highest number of burglaries outside of London and major cities in the UK with 78.44 per 100,000 people, according to security experts Hiatt Hardware.
And in one incident a pensioner was found by police shaking after being dragged from his bed and stabbed in both ears by a masked intruder who took £1,000 in cash that he had hoped he could use to leave the area. He told detectives it was a "living nightmare".
In May 2022, Nicholas Walsh, a dangerous criminal with a string of robbery convictions to his name, was jailed for 15 years for the horrifying incident but his victim was left with physical and mental scars, unable to sleep and regularly waking at night to check the locks on his doors.
Sadly this was not an isolated incident with figures showing Blackpool ranking eighth nationally for burglary, robbery and theft offences, according to the statistics.
The crime rates led Lancashire Police to launch Op Defender to tackle domestic burglaries and last year officers arrested more than 1,000 people for break-ins and robbery offences - with 69% of burglary victims now saying they are satisfied with the police's response to their report.
Ferenc Horvath is one such burglar, who targeted properties in Blackpool, St Annes and Bispham. The 31-year-old, from Grosvenor Street, climbed into homes through unsecured upstairs windows and stole high value jewellery and household items, reported LancsLive.
He was jailed for 21 months after pleading guilty to three residential burglaries, one attempted burglary and four counts of fraud. But his victims may never see their sentimental items returned.
Elsewhere in the resort, hotels, B&Bs and residential properties were targeted by Terry Ward, a career criminal who has been burgling since the age of 12. He carried a burgling kit in his backpack complete with plyers, screwdrivers and a half set of scissors, to enable him to enter properties and help himself to bank cards and wallets, to feed his long term drug habit.
Since 2000, burglars such as Ward, who have committed three 'strikes' are subject to a minimum prison term of three years.
Lancashire Police have vowed to take a "robust and proactive approach" to domestic break-ins, with additional funding being provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden.
Supt Derry Crorken, force lead for Op Defender, reportedly said: “We know that burglary is an incredibly personal, and invasive crime which can shatter confidence and feelings of safety. Everyone has a right to feel safe and be safe in their homes and nobody should ever have to experience being burgled. That is why we are committed to ensuring victims get the best possible service, including an officer going to their address."
Police and Crime Commissioner Snowden added: “Cracking down on burglary and robbery, and ensuring people feel safe in their homes, is a priority in my Fighting Crime Plan. I funded Op Defender to strengthen the Constabulary’s efforts to proactively target prolific offenders and ensure that anyone found guilty of this type of crime feels the full force of the law.
"By guaranteeing all residential burglaries are attended by an officer, we are sending a clear message to victims, and the wider public that we understand the lasting impact this kind of crime has.
"It's also right that we work with our communities to help residents better protect themselves and prevent giving criminals opportunity to take advantage. Importantly, I commission Lancashire Victim Services to ensure if people do fall victim to burglary, they receive specialist support."
