INSPECTOR NICK PINKERTON
Residential Burglary is a priority for us. We know having your house burgled is a traumatic and invasive experience, so we work hard to keep Residential Burglary figures low with additional patrolling and other activity. In Chertsey, from April to the end of October, we have had 23 offences compared to 39 last year.
Criminals may travel across the whole of the South-East, so we work with neighbouring forces exchanging intelligence and organising joint operations to arrest offenders. Supported by our Roads Policing Unit, we will deny criminals the use of the road, intercepting those burglars who live outside of Surrey but come here to steal. At the end of October, we arrested three men from London who initially failed to stop for police but were apprehended near Egham and were charged in connection with two burglaries.
The pattern of burglaries in Chertsey shows an upturn in the Autumn which is in line with the general experience across Surrey. Between September and February, peak offending hours for residential burglaries tend to fall between 5pm and 10pm. What may make a significant difference this year is that with a “Lockdown” more people will be at home and for longer, so burglars may change their tactics. We already have seen that our rate of shed and garage burglaries are higher than last year and account for about 40% of all residential burglaries in Runnymede. Up-and-over garage doors are particularly vulnerable.
Without having to spend a lot of money, you can make your garage or shed more secure. These can be an easy target for the opportunist thief particularly when they are sited away from your home and not easily overlooked. Consider the following if you have anything valuable stored in your garage:
• Fit a good quality padlock, which has a hardened steel shackle (the part which opens and passes through the hasp) to all shed doors. The shorter the shackle the better because it prevents the jaws of bolt croppers being able to be placed around it
• Install a shed alarm and put up a sticker to advertise the fact
• Mark valuable property, including lawnmowers, power tool, bikes, and garden furniture by etching or permanently marking your postcode and house number
• Chain up bicycles, lawnmowers and motorbikes and secure them to a fixed point in the shed, ideally lock them to something too heavy to be moved or to the wall
• Make sure that fences/gates to your property are secure and remember to put any property away at night or when you go out during the day
• Darkness is the perfect cover for burglars and the effective answer is to install outside lighting, which comes on only when people are present.