FORENSIC evidence helped police charge three men with 23 crimes following a series of break-ins at homes in East Renfrewshire.

Officers initially arrested one man after reports of a break-in at a property in Eaglesham in December.

An air support unit, dog branch and roads policing team then tracked two men in a stolen vehicle, arresting them in Glasgow city centre.

Forensic evidence captured at the scene led to the men being charged.

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Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, divisional commander of Greater Glasgow Division, revealed information about the incident in an update to East Renfrewshire Council chiefs.

He said: “There continues to be a reduction in the number of victims of domestic housebreaking against last year’s figures and the five-year average.

“The detection rate has improved over the last quarter and is now more in line with the national average.”

Break-ins across the area were down from 92 in April to December 2017 to 74 in the same period last year.

Ch Supt McInulty also reported an almost 20% decrease in incidents of anti-social behaviour compared to the year before.

He said: “We continue to deploy resources to ‘hot spot’ areas.”

The performance report revealed that incidents of violent crime had dropped from 394 to 305 for the same April to December period.