Keep
out thieves - lock your doors
Police in east Cheshire are again urging residents
to lock their doors to keep opportunist thieves from their door.
In East Cheshire more than a third of all reported burglaries
involve criminals simply walking through a door which has not been
locked. In many cases the family is asleep in bed, in other cases
they are in the next room, watching television or eating.
Inspector Groom said, "At times in the past year these sneak-ins
constituted well over half of all burglaries reported in some parts
of the area. That is a ridiculous situation."
"We work hard to identify and catch burglars and we have
had a lot of successes, but people have a responsibility to take
reasonable measures to protect their property."
"The first rule of crime prevention, where burglary is concerned,
is to keep the door locked. That applies whether you are in or
out. There are criminals who specialize in sneak-ins. They don′t
have to bother forcing a door or window. They just try doors until
they come to one that is open. The longer nights which are coming
in make that easier."
"They also provide cover for the more traditional burglar.
Again, the first line of defence is locked doors and windows. We
also advise people not to leave valuables, or keys, near windows
where they can be seen from the outside. It is an added incentive
for a burglar if he knows there is something good on offer, before
he goes in."
"Security lights on the outside of the house are a good investment.
They will remove some of the disadvantage of the darker evenings.
More often than not, traditional burglars target houses while the
occupier is out. It is worth spending a few pounds on time switches
to turn some inside lights on as daylight fades. If the house looks
occupied the burglar will probably turn away."
"Think about investing in a security alarm system and if
you have one fitted be sure to set it every time you go out and
when you go to bed."
"Some of the best crime prevention devices are your eyes.
Burglars will usually spend time looking round a street to decide
which houses are vulnerable. A sneak-in specialist will be ducking
in and out of gardens, trying doors.
"If you see anyone acting suspiciously, call police on 101 and report it. You may be doing your neighbours − and yourself
- a big favour."
JANE THIRSK
Watch Officer
Cheshire Police
Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Team 0845 458 6371
Police non-emergency number: 101
Other Homewatch pages of current relevance: Briefs (recent
crimes in the Macclesfield Division including Bollington, Kerridge
and Pott Shrigley).
If you haven't looked at the homewatch pages before we recommend
looking at the homewatch home page.
