February 5, 2010

Working Day Burglaries – Be Vigilant!

Dunstable officers are warning householders to be extra vigilant after three incidents in the Jeans Way area of the town.

Two houses were broken into and one was damaged on Monday (February 1) between 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

The offenders managed to jemmy open patio doors at a house on Kingsbury Avenue and steal a laptop, while on Jeans Way itself a laptop, DVDs, Playstation and games were stolen from a house when offenders forced the front door. Another house nearby on Jeans Way was attacked but the burglars did not get in.

Det Con Michelle Sears, of Dunstable CID, is asking neighbours to look out for each other’s property since all the incidents happened while the owners were out.

“It’s really important that people report anybody behaving suspiciously in residential areas like this – very often the people we catch for these types of crime have been seen hanging about by a good hearted neighbour and we are able to get to the house quickly and catch them as they are running away,” she said.

“If someone is in your neighbour’s back garden or looking over their fence and you know the occupier is out at work during the day then don’t hesitate to call us – and ask your neighbours to do the same for you,” said Det Con Sears.

“While these particular incidents have involved burglars forcing their way in, often they are looking for a soft target where the home owner has forgotten to lock doors and windows or doesn’t have much security. It’s cheap and easy to install effective crime deterrent measures so why not wrap the two things up in one and join or start a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area. You can get discounts on crime reduction measures and free advice – and you’ll know you’re part of a network which is looking out for each other,” she said.

In the meantime, anyone who has information about this type of crime can contact Det Con Sears direct on 01582 473056 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.