Extra police patrols have been allocated to the St Albans district and officers have been sharing crime prevention advice with residents to help reduce the large number of burglaries which have happened recently.
St Albans Detective Inspector Alex(andra) Warwick said: “We expect to see an increase in burglaries at this time of year with the darker evenings – but the current high numbers seem even worse because we had seen comparatively few offences up until the past fortnight.
“We have been proactively targeting people who are known to us for burglaries and are working closely with other districts and forces to trace the people responsible.
“Obviously we cannot be on every street 24 hours a day but we can help residents reduce the chances of being burgled. Most burglars are opportunist so will look for an easy way in and want to be out as quickly as possible.
“Make your home unattractive to a thief by giving your home a ‘lived-in’ look, invest in timer switches, doorbell cameras and CCTV and make sure you lock windows and doors, especially at night.
“Please call 999 if you suspect a burglary may be in progress – this gives us the best chance of catching someone in the act and stopping other people being burgled. If you see any vehicles acting suspiciously, try and note down the registration numbers if you can and call us straight away on 999. Watch out for your neighbours’ properties, particularly if you know they are away.”
There were 32 burglaries and attempted burglaries in St Albans, Harpenden and London Colney between Monday, October 28 and Wednesday, November 13.
The majority of these offences occurred in St Albans with burglaries in Marshalswick, Fleetville, St Stephen, How Wood and Park Street.
Most offences tend to be in the evenings with jewellery continuing to be the main target.
Between 7.30pm and 8.15pm on Monday, November 4, jewellery and cash were stolen from an address in the Mall in Park Street. (41/100178/19).
Between 5.30pm and 11pm on Monday, November 4, jewellery was stolen from an address in Penman Close. (41/9930/19).
Between 8.30am and 9.30am on Monday, October 28, jewellery was stolen from an address in Beverley Gardens. (41/98505/19).
Between 7.30pm and 7.40pm on Wednesday, October 30, jewellery was stolen from an address in Oakwood Drive. (41/99149/19).
Alex said: “It’s a good idea to keep valuable jewellery in a bank or safe or if it is kept at home, in a place that is not obvious.”
Anyone with any information about any of these burglaries is asked to report it online at herts.police.uk/report quoting the reference number or call 101.
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