POLICE carried out dawn raids on the homes of burglary suspects in a bid to clean up a notorious estate where residents feel as if they are living in a prison.

Bromley police spent weeks planning Operation Dorian and made seven arrests after bursting into homes on Orpingtons Ramsden Estate.

The suspects, aged between late-teens and early 20s, now face a total of more than 20 charges of burglary and robbery with another 12 offences to be taken into consideration.

Sergeant John Jarvest, manager of Bromleys crime reduction unit, said: This estate accounted for a very substantial portion of the burglaries committed in the borough. Large numbers of people feel as if they are living in a prison.

He added: The people committing the burglaries were, in the main, local people and these are the people we have targeted and dealt with.

Officers from the crime reduction unit have visited hundreds of homes on the estate since last months raids to assess security and suggest improvements.

The police still want to look at about 900 more homes and hope Broomleigh Housing Association may be able to offer funding to support Operation Dorian.

Sgt Jarvest estimated the cost for security improvements across the estate could be as much as £150,000.

That is the cost of about three trials, he said. We would rather spend the money on security upgrades than trying a few burglars.

He urged residents to install a British Standard mortise-lock on their front door, about a third of the way up, claiming this simple step strengthens the weakest part of the door and is an effective deterrent.

The police hope Operation Dorian will prove as successful as a similar one in Penge and Anerley.

Sgt Jarvest said: If we can reduce the number of burglaries it will have a significant effect on the quality of life for the residents of the Ramsden estate.

If that can be maintained, crime will continue to decrease because people will take more pride in the environment they live in.