News

Police are advising residents to review their home security as the clocks go back and the nights draw in.

Research shows that opportunist burglaries committed whilst people are out at work rise at this time of year, but many could be avoided.

Det Insp Kenny Ingram said: “The darker nights do provide extra opportunities for criminals to burgle houses. Our research shows many of these sorts of crimes can be prevented if people take some extra precautions:”

· Always lock all your doors and windows. Remember - any space big enough for a human head is big enough for someone to climb through.

· Never leave keys in hiding places such as under flower pots or on top of door frames. Burglars know where to look. You could always leave a spare set of keys with a trusted neighbour or friend.

· Where possible fit an alarm.

· Whilst it gets dark early on in the evening, or equally, if you are going away on holiday, use timers on your lights (they are inexpensive and easy to set up) and consider leaving the radio on to make it look as if people are at home.

· Never leave property in a porch you tend to leave unlocked, even if the door is usually shut.

· Don’t leave expensive items on window sills where they could be seen from the street.

· Lock all garden tools securely in the shed, as they could be stolen or used to break into your house.

· Property mark your valuables. You can use a UV pen or etching tool to mark property with your house number and postcode. This will make it easy to identify and will act as a huge deterrent to thieves.*

*Hawkinge PC, Trevor Moody is holding a free security marking event at the Lidl supermarket in Hawkinge on Sat 3 Nov from 3pm to 6pm as part of the Kent Police Safer Autumn campaign.