POLICE in Burnley are dealing a blow to the town's criminals after designing a set of playing cards to help bobbies identify the force's top targets.

The set of cards features 52 of the most prolific burglars and suspected burglars in the town and will be handed out to officers so they can familiarise themselves with the list.

Targets include King of Spades Daniel Devlin, convicted of crimes including theft and deception, and who is awaiting sentence for theft after pleading guilty at Burnley Magistrates Court yesterday, as well as a gang of youngsters suspected of committing a string of burglaries in the Burnley Wood area the four Tens in the pack.

The use of playing cards to help identify suspects is not a new idea in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition, the American military developed a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of President Saddam Hussein's government - with Saddam as the ace of spades.

Police in China have also used the ploy.

Insp Damian Darcy, of Burnley police, said the division was already targeting burglary with extra officers being drafted in, but that when a list of their top targets was being drawn up they had the idea for the playing cards.

He said: "As we had around 50 targets we thought the cards would be a good way of helping officers get to know the names and faces.

"Bobbies will be issued with a pack of the cards which they can carry around with them while they are out and about and even if they actually play with the cards, during a break for example, that will help familiarise them with some of these targets.

"Although our burglary figures are at a very low level at the moment we want to make sure they stay that way and hopefully this will help us do that."

The scheme is part of Burnley police's Operation Forward aimed at cracking down on burglary in the town.

Police chiefs say although burglary has fallen by 40 per cent in the last three years, the summer months always see an increase with people leaving doors and windows open.

But police hope that by playing their trump card they will be able to keep the crime figures down. in 2000/01 there were an average of 113 burglaries a month but this has dropped to 47 in 2005/06.

Letters are also being sent out to the people on the list warning them that police are aware they are involved or could become involved in crime and that they face arrest and court appearances unless they stay on the straight and narrow.