Herts Police have revealed there have been 36 burglaries in St Albans in the last two weeks.

This is an increase of a third on the average two-week period, and 11 of these offences took place on the same day.

Det Insp Alex Warwick said: “Burglaries have significantly increased in St Albans and we are working hard to catch those responsible.

“Whilst we have high-visibility patrols, we also have a lot of police activity behind the scenes that residents will not be aware of.

“Because of the unusual increase, we have police officers working extra shifts across the St Albans district, including Bricket Wood and Park Street, which has been targeted in the last few weeks.”

Those 11 burglaries took place on Friday, February 9, and the police have stressed the problem is a national one, not just a St Albans one.

Det Insp Warwick said: “I do understand residents’ concerns and we know there has been lots of frustrations voiced on social media.

“We have made a number of arrests and are proactively targeting people we believe may be involved.

“We also need the assistance of the community to work together to tackle this problem as we cannot be in every street 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We have had a number of calls from residents reporting suspicious behaviour retrospectively. Please call us straight away on 101 if you think someone is acting suspiciously, for example someone you don’t recognise acting strangely around a neighbouring property or a vehicle, as it could help prevent further victims of crime.

“Call 999 if you believe a crime is in progress, may be about to be in progress or the offenders are still in the area. Please be vigilant, report any suspicious behaviour and look out for your neighbours.”

St Albans’ chief inspector and security experts have both issued advice to homeowners in the past week about securing their homes.

Herts Police recently ran a campaign encouraging homeowners to upgrade their security measures.

Det Insp Warwick said: “Don’t forget to securely lock PVCu doors and shut all windows when you go out or go to bed and give your home the ‘lived-in’ look.

“As jewellery has been targeted in some offences I’d encourage residents to make sure they keep valuable or sentimental jewellery securely locked away and out of sight, especially when you go on holiday.”

“I want to reassure you that the St Albans district is a relatively low-crime area.

“When we are dealing with an increase in crime or anti-social behaviour occurs, we act quickly. If you have any information that will help prevent or detect crime, please contact us.”

To receive emails from Neighbourhood Watch about crimes in the area, sign up to the Online Watch Link at www.owl.co.uk or speak to a local officer.

Examples of burglaries in the last two weeks include:

•Car keys, cash and jewellery were stolen from a home on Park Street Lane between 10.30am and 5.15pm on February 9. Police have asked anyone with information to call 101 and give reference F3/18/318.

•Jewellery was also stolen from an address in Birch Copse in Bricket Wood between 3.30pm and 9.45pm on February 10. The reference for this is F3/18/336.

•Damage was caused to a rear door in Stanley Gardens in St Albans between 1pm on Wednesday, February 7 and 4pm on Monday, February 12. The reference for this is F3/18/358.

•A second address in Stanley Gardens was targeted when offenders caused damage to a patio door between 3.30pm on Saturday, February 10 and 6pm on Sunday, February 11. The reference for this is F3/18/354.

•A shovel was stolen from a shed in Puddingstone Drive between 10pm and 11pm on Tuesday, February 20.