Rise in burglaries across St Albans and Harpenden

In the last two weeks, burglaries in St Albans, Harpenden and London Colney have increased by a third.

The spike in burglaries - 25 in the past fortnight - bucks the trend in other parts of the county where there has been a reduction.

The situation is very similar to the same time last year when the number of burglaries in the St Albans district soared.

Ten of the burglaries in the past fortnight have been in St Albans, 11 in Harpenden and four in London Colney. Statistics show that over 65 per cent of break-ins occur between midday and 8pm.

St Albans Det Insp Pete Frost said that police had extensive plans, including extra high-visibility police patrols and targeting known offenders, as well as covert tactics, in place to prevent and detect burglaries

He commented: “This is a considerable increase in burglaries. Sadly, some of these could have been prevented by residents securing their property. I’d also like to suggest that residents use timer switches to give their homes the ‘lived-in’ look.

“Please remember to lock side gates and all windows. Where possible, tidy away garden furniture and tools in a locked shed or garage, so they cannot be used to get into your home by opportunist burglars who want to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

He said officers had been specifically targeting streets which had statistically been more at risk from burglaries over the past three years. Residents were being urged to sign on to Neighbourhood Watch and not to advertise they were away on social media sites.