A MAN has been charged with committing 26 house burglaries across Southampton following investigations by a specialist new police unit.

Andrew Bowers, 37, of Earls Road, Portswood, Southampton, has been remanded in custody after appearing before city magistrates.

Police said his arrest followed lengthy inquiries by officers from Southampton's new burglary investigation unit, set up this year to reduce the number of break-ins across the city.

Bowers was arrested last week in connection with a series of burglaries which had been committed across Southampton since April 2002. He is due to appear before magistrates again on Friday.

Today Det Insp Richard Pearson, head of the Home Office-funded pilot project, said: "These charges follow a lengthy, complex and protracted investigation by the officers of the burglary investigation unit, and represent another excellent arrest for the team."

The pioneering new unit, launched in February but only made public in August, is part of the Daily Echo-backed Operation Boa campaign to reduce the number of household burglaries across Southampton.

It is the first time in the UK that police investigators and scenes-of-crime officers have worked hand in hand from the moment a crime is reported to the day a burglar is jailed.

The project, based at Hampshire police's divisional headquarters in Hulse Road, Southampton, is being evaluated by experts from Portsmouth University.

If successful, the scheme could be extended across the country.

Anyone providing information about people committing burglaries may receive a cash reward if their call leads to a conviction. Call the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.