The Home Office has invested 2 million into burglar trapping tech, it announced today.
Some 16 police forces are using tech automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, forensic scanners and property tagging to catch criminals.
Some are also using so-called "trap" houses and cars - rigged targets with hidden cameras and tagged property - to trick burglars.
A trap room set up in halls of residence at an Oxford university has already netted one "prolific burglar," the Home Office said, adding the video footage helped put him in jail for more than two years.
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said: "This new equipment will not only help police catch the criminals who harm communities, it will help prevent crime as well. Once burglars realise the home they're breaking into might be covered by hidden cameras they might start to think twice."
