Home owners in East Staffordshire are being urged to make sure their homes are safe and secure after a spate of burglaries. Staffordshire Police issued the warning after homes and sheds in Yoxall and Hoar Cross became the target for burglars.
On Friday, August 4, there were two separate reports of burglaries in Maker Lane, Hoar Cross. The first happened overnight and saw locked wooden gates to a property removed with a farm building broken in to after the door was forced.
The thieves stole a "large quantity" of industrial tools including strimmers and hedge-cutters. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101, quoting incident number 105 of August 4.
The second, incident 165 of August 4, saw a power washer stolen from a shed. The following day police received a call at 10.35am which was a report of a burglary at a home in Hadley End, Yoxall, which would have happened some time between mid-July and August 5.
The burglars accessed the house by forcing open the back door and police said they stole "a number of items".
Anyone with information is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident 310 of August 5.
Officers said that investigations into these incidents are on-going and anyone with information is asked to call the police on the non-emergency 1010 number.
Police have now issued a warning to urge residents to make sure security measures are in place to protect against burglars with simple measures like good window locks and strong deadlocks making a big difference.
Tips for keeping homes safe include:
- Locking doors and windows every time you leave the house, even if just out in the garden, remembering to double-lock UPVC doors (lift handle and turn the key);
- Hiding all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from the letterbox as a device could be used to hook keys;
- Installing a visual burglar alarm;
- Installing good outside lighting;
- Getting a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on the property;
- Leaving radios or lights in the house on a timer to make the home appear to be occupied;
- Making sure the fences around the garden are in good condition;
- Securing bikes at home by locking them to an immovable object inside a locked shed or garage;
- Keeping ladders and tools stored away - don't leave them outside where they could be used to break into the home;
- Ensuring side gates are locked to prevent access to the back of the property;
- Ensuring back fencing is in good condition;
- Improving natural surveillance at the front of the property like trimming the high hedges;
- Marking your property with postcode and house number and registering your property for free with Immobilise;
- Considering joining or forming a Neighbourhood Watch scheme;
- Removing valuables from view of ground-floor windows; and
- Storing any high-value items in a properly secured safe or bank vault.
