Four individuals have already been arrested as part of a new South Wales Police crackdown on burglary offences across the Vale and Bridgend borough.
Following a recent spate of house burglaries, local police officers have launched Operation Jupiter with a simple message to residents: “Don’t Give Burglars the Space to Strike!”
Some 50% of the dwelling burglaries recorded recently throughout the Central Division of South Wales Police have been a result of insecure windows or doors.
Officers want to raise awareness amongst residents so we can beat the burglars by locking up our homes properly, taking away their opportunity to strike.
As part of the initiative, local PCSOs will be posting crime prevention advice through residents’ doors, and the South Wales Police Twitter account ‘swpolice’ will broadcast regular tweets with advice on how to protect your property.
Teams throughout the sector will also be carrying out proactive patrols in a bid to crackdown on burglary offences and to identify vulnerable properties.
So far, an 18 year old male from Barry has been charged with dwelling burglary and theft and remanded in custody, and a 16 year old male also from Barry has been charged with theft and remanded in custody.
A 20 year old from the Barry area remains in custody in connection with a dwelling burglary which occurred in the Llandough area of Penarth.
A 19 year old from Barry who was arrested in connection with a dwelling burglary has been bailed pending further enquiries.
Central Division Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Davies said: “There are simple steps that we can all take to secure our homes against burglars.
“Most strike at the spur of the moment, so unlocked doors and open windows are like gold dust to them.
“We just need to be careful when locking up, and make sure we’re on the look out for any suspicious activity to keep ourselves and our neighbours safe.
“There have been 961 less victims of domestic burglary across our Force area this year compared with last year, with 16% less offences committed, and our aim is for these figures to increase.”
The advice to residents from local officers is:
- Remember to lock all your doors and windows, especially if you’re heading out.
- If you’ve got a burglar alarm, set it before you go to bed or when you leave your premises unoccupied.
- Don’t leave your house in darkness. Use time switches to cause lights to come on in rooms you usually occupy or just leave a light on when it goes dark.
- Don’t leave your keys in the door or window locks as this will make it easier for the burglar to break in.
- Don’t keep keys on a key-board near doors – put them somewhere safe.
- Use a door chain before you answer the door and always check the identities of uninvited callers – if in doubt do not let them in.
- Never leave a door key in a convenient hiding place such as under a plant pot – they’re the places where a burglar will think to look!
- Don’t attract unwelcome visitors by leaving valuables on display.
- Look out for your neighbours, and if you see anything suspicious then please report it to us.
- Postcode all your valuable property and take photographs to keep on file. This would make it easier to trace your property back to you should the worst happen.
DCI Davies added: “With 50% of recent recorded burglaries having occurred through insecure doors or windows, it shows there’s a lot more we can do to safeguard ourselves from these opportunistic thieves.”
“Remember, if you’re witnessing a burglary or any other crime as it’s being committed, call 999. All we need is a call to help us stop the burglar in their tracks.”
For more crime prevention advice, residents can call the relevant Community Safety Partnership and speak to their Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor.
The Safer Bridgend advisor is Deborah Elward, 01656 679558.
The Safer Vale advisor is Dick Collins, 01446 731627.
