Senior Telford officer issues home security reminder

Although police regularly issue warnings to local people about the need to keep windows and doors shut - and ideally locked - when they leave their homes, many burglaries still appear to have happened simply because people have left their homes insecure.

Speaking about his continued concerns, DCI Wells explained:

"Through the work of the force's burglary initiative, Citadel, we are being very pro-active and we are seeing the results of our focused operational activity every day.

"However, although burglaries do remain relatively rare in Telford & Wrekin, up to half of all burglaries are committed by thieves who enter the house through an unlocked door or an open window.

"Experience tells us that burglars often live reasonably close to their victims. They work a local patch and will return to or near to properties they have already broken into.

"This means the reality is that most burglaries are carried out by opportunistic thieves, rather than ‘professional' criminals, who are looking for the easiest way of getting into a house without being seen or disturbed.

"Opportunist thieves will not want to take unnecessary risks to carry out a burglary and therefore there are simple things that everyone can do to make life more difficult for them.

"For example, don't leave open or unlocked doors or accessible windows in unoccupied rooms even if you are only outside for a very short time. If you are in the garden and leave the front door open: it would only take a matter of seconds for an opportunist thief to walk in and steal items from your home. Remember to lock up properly before you go to bed and only leave windows open in the rooms where people are sleeping."

Take the following simple steps to make sure your property is less vulnerable to burglars and you can enjoy your time away with peace of mind:

- Let a neighbour or friend know that you're going away.
- Arrange for them to check on your house - collect mail, open / close curtains.
- Use timer switches/sensors to turn lights on in the evenings while you are out
- Invest in external lighting
- Mark your belongings with your postcode and house number - go to www.immobilise.com for more information about how to register your property and protect it.
- If you have an alarm, set it when you leave the house.
- Remember to cancel your milk and newspapers
- Encourage a neighbour to park on your drive.

DCI Wells continued:

"We remain concerned that many people do not take the threat of burglary seriously enough and therefore I would once again ask each and every person in the Borough to spend a little time considering how they can make their home more secure.

"It will only take a few minutes to think this through but could make an enormous difference in terms of reducing your chances of becoming a victim of an opportunist thief.

"More detailed crime prevention advice is available on the force website and will be promoted through a new Twitter account, @CitadelWMP."