Herefordshire police have been working hard to reduce the volume of burglaries across the county. West Mercia’s dedicated officers have been making in-roads into reducing the number of burglaries by targeting prolific offenders and proactive operations to clamp down on the crime.
This problem solving approach has produced a reduction, over the past six months, in the amount of homes involved in burglaries by 20% from 132 to 106.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion welcomed the results: “Burglary has more than just a financial impact on victims, so it is a priority for me and West Mercia Police. I have invested in specialist resources for the force to tackle burglary in the most effective way however, services to support those who are victims and preventative measures such as Smartwater. It is reassuring to see that improvements are being made, and I hope to see this continue. As a community, we all have our part to play in preventing this type of crime from happening.”
Detective Inspector Ross Jones said: “Being broken into is absolutely devastating and can have a long lasting impact on victims, when someone has unfortunately been a victim we make sure this is followed up with advice and support.
“As well as investigating the crimes that take place and supporting victims our dedicated officers have been targeting prolific offenders and implementing proactive operations with the aim of disrupting these individuals from committing further crime.
“Our officers, in particular the safer neighbourhood team, use local events, routine patrol and social media accounts to communicate messages to members of the public on how they can help beat the burglar.
He continued: “All these components mean we continue to crack down on burglars and reduce homes being targeted across Herefordshire.”
Crime prevention can help play a crucial part in preventing the burglars in the first instance, we want to remind homeowners of the simple steps they can take, making a home unattractive to potential thieves can often make a real difference.
- Install CCTV, burglar alarms and outside lighting;
- Lock front and back doors, even if you are in the house and particularly overnight;
- Keep ground floor windows shut when you leave the house and overnight;
- Hide items such as mobile phones, car keys, wallets and purses, out of view from windows and doors is also advisable;
- Put lamps and/or radios on a timer to make it appear that someone is home;
- If you are away ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your home, you could even ask them to occasionally park their car on your drive to make it look as though people are currently in.
We Don’t Buy Crime is West Mercia Police’s response to tackling serious acquisitive crime, which includes crimes such as burglary and theft. The initiative, supported by the PCC, utilises a range of overt and covert tactics to help take the value out of acquisitive crime.
Issued: Thursday 20th June 2019
