A national scheme to cut housebreakings has been questioned after it was based on a pilot project that resulted in a tiny reduction in burglaries.

Police Scotland revealed that new technology to identify stolen property had slashed crime in Edinburgh by 53%, but the real figure behind the percentage drop was in single digits.

Hugh Henry, Labour's justice spokesman, accused the force of making "silly claims".

Housebreakings rocketed by nearly 40% in Edinburgh after Police Scotland abolished the dedicated teams set up by the old Lothian and Borders force.

In the single force's second year, covering 2014/15, the figure rose again by 11.6%.

Officers created Community Investigation Units - which focused on crimes including housebreakings - and embarked on other initiatives designed to control the spiralling problem.

In one project, Police Scotland last year teamed up with London-based Smart Water Technology to address housebreakings in two Edinburgh areas: the Grange; and Greenbank.

The company's product - a special liquid that can be brushed on to valuables - was given to 600 homes across the city.

If items marked with the Smart Water fluid were stolen, officers could identify the goods under ultra-violet light.

High-visibility signage was also erected in the participating areas.

The force trumpeted the success of the pilot in a press release: "As a result, domestic housebreaking in both locations has fallen by around 53% per cent compared to the previous 6 months."

It was described as part of a "major crime reduction operation" and assistant chief constable Wayne Mawson hailed the impact as "dramatic".

Police Scotland then splashed out £60,000 to roll out the pilot across the country, focusing on Pollokshields, Rutherglen, Stirlingshire, Torry in Aberdeen, parts of East Lothian and the Duddingston area of Edinburgh.

Despite the apparent success, the force stated that a freedom of information request would have to be tabled to get the figures behind the 53% claim.

However, the firm revealed on its website that the baseline figure for housebreaking in the period before the pilot began was just 17.

A 53% reduction meant that acquisitive crime had fallen to around 8.5 - a relatively tiny amount.

A police source familiar with the project questioned how the force could claim that the small decrease was linked to the Smart Water initiative.

The insider added that the product could only be tested under ultra-violet light if the police found the stolen property in the first place.

According to figures for E Division, which covers Edinburgh, the detection rate for housebreaking is 27.1%

Brian Connel, a retired superintendent who used to work for Strathclyde police, is a Smart Water Technology consultant in Scotland.

Henry said: "If Smart Water is to be rolled out across Scotland it should be thoroughly tested and evaluated. Making silly claims based on little evidence does nothing to help make the case for this product."

Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: "While easy-to-use technology that helps solve crime is welcome it's important that stats and figures used to illustrate success tell the whole story. That way it's easier to properly appreciate the extent of progress."

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "At the time of the pilot, the Grange and Greenbank had seen a spike in housebreaking and following the implementation of SmartWater, the spike was reversed and a reduction in crimes of this nature was observed. The scheme also received positive feedback from the public, our key partners and elected members.

"We will continue to work alongside our communities to address any issues identified as a local priority and to bring offenders to justice."