Burglaries in Cheshire have fallen by nearly a third over the past two years. BELINDA RYAN reports – and finds out how you can help keep the numbers down
MOST people believe they will never be a victim of burglary. And it’s that belief, says Cheshire Police, that unscrupulous criminals prey on.
Figures show 25% of all house burglaries in Cheshire occur because people have left doors or windows open or unlocked.
That again stems from the commonly held belief that our homes are untouchable and no-one will cross our doorsteps uninvited.
Now, with summer on its way, police are keen to get across the message that householders must take precautions because there is a small number of persistent and often prolific burglars who are responsible for committing the vast number of burglaries.
“In Cheshire we are constantly changing tactics to deal with the challenges posed by our most prolific offenders,” said Cheshire’s deputy chief constable Graeme Gerrard, who is a national lead on tackling burglary.
“Without assistance from members of the public, we would not have been able to reduce the number of burglaries in Cheshire to the levels we have but the current economic climate is posing new challenges.
“We want to provide real help in hard times to our communities by working together to prevent burglars gaining access to our homes.”
The force wants everyone to play their part in denying criminals opportunities to commit crime.
“Extra vigilance in the home is key to denying prolific offenders the opportunity to commit further crimes so we are asking people to keep doors and windows locked when they are out of the room or out of the house,” said Mr Gerrard.
“Together, we can make life difficult for burglars. Police officers will continue to disrupt their day-to-day lives and members of the public can play their part.”
Over the past two years, burglaries in this area have dropped dramatically.
The number of homes which have been broken into has been cut by nearly a third and at the same time the detection rate has gone up by more than 16%.
Detective sergeant Michael Ankers works as on the unit that deals with burglary in Ellesmere port.
He said: “It is probably the best job I have held during my time with the police service. I know from speaking to victims of burglary how much impact these crimes have on their life.
“A burglary of a home is one of the most emotive crimes that a police officer gets to investigate. Often there is little evidence to go on but I know how important it is to the victims that we bring to justice the people responsible for striking at the heart of people’s homes and causing untold misery.”
