Police are urging residents to be security conscious after 24 per cent of summer burglaries last year in Basildon and Thurrock could have potentially been prevented.
In real terms, 141 victims across the area could have saved themselves the trauma of becoming a victim of burglary had they secured their property.
During the summer months, residents are more tempted to leave windows or doors open for ventilation, which can give opportunist thieves an open invitation to burgle the property. Whilst keeping cool is important, so is protecting your home from intrusion.
Last year across Basildon, the percentage of burglaries committed by an open door or window rose from 10 per cent in May, to 25 per cent in July and 30 per cent in August. In Thurrock, the percentage of burglaries via insecure doors or windows rose by 20 per cent in May, 33 percent in July and 25 per cent in August. This shows the significant affect hot weather has on the chances of being burgled.
Police are advising resident to take a common-sense approach to ventilation in the summer months. Basildon and Thurrock’s Supt Ivor Harvey, said: “It is very tempting to leave a window open if you are just popping out to keep the house cool whilst you are gone. However, it only takes thieves a matter of minutes to enter your home and wreak devastation for you and your family by stealing things that matter.”
Supt Harvey also wanted to reassure the public that police are succeeding against burglars. He added: “We are committed to tackling burglary, and have recently had success in this area of locking away some of the key players. We carry out daily patrols, and if one of our officers notices something a burglar would, we will knock on your door or leave you a note to tell you how to make your property more secure.
“We can only make sure burglars don’t have a chance by all working together, and I will promise you my teams and I will do all we can with the support of the public to make sure burglars think twice before committing crime in Basildon or Thurrock.”
Police are advising people to keep all accessible doors and windows fully secured at night time, and during the day, make sure no accessible windows are left open if you are not in that room. If you are enjoying the weather in the garden and do not have sight of your back door, make sure it is locked to prevent someone entering your home unnoticed.
If you see any suspicious activity in your area, please contact police immediately on 0300 333 4444 or call 999 if you see a crime in progress. If you have any information about crime in your area, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
