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14:57 04/02/2020
With just under two months to go until the clocks change to British Summer Time (BST), we’re reminding people to report suspicious incidents to us, especially as it still gets dark late in the afternoon, to help deter opportunistic burglars.
Officers are continuing to take part in Operation Spearhead, which has been running with overt and covert officers and staff deployed solely to prevent burglaries and catch offenders across the whole of Surrey.
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Between 29 December 2019 and 2 February 2020 a total of 608 residential burglaries were reported to us across the whole of Surrey. Of these: 163 related to the east of the county, 219 related to the west of the county, and 226 related to the north of the county.
Detective Superintendent Wendy Whiting, who heads up Surrey Police’s response to burglary said: “Residents tend to think about home security and leaving a light on more in November and December, as they notice the night’s drawing in. It’s important to consider our crime prevention advice all year-round, especially towards the end of winter before the clocks change to British Summer Time as opportunistic burglars will use the darker afternoons to target homes before people get back from work.
“We have seen an increase in burglary across the whole of Surrey in the last month. Many of these reports relate to activity in the late afternoon or early evening and are not confined to specific areas, although the number of reports from the east of the county are marginally below those for the west and the north.
“Reporting suspicious incidents to us is vital to our response to burglary, so that we can build a comprehensive picture of what is happening across the county in order to disrupt opportunistic burglars. For example: on Wednesday 29 January we received four reports, from members of the public, about two men acting suspiciously in the area around The Avenue and Ambleside Road in Lightwater. One of the reports related to the men pushing against the door of a property that was unoccupied. An officer from the Neighbourhood Policing Team attended and spoke with the persons identified. No offences were discovered, but the actions of the public and our officers could well have prevented a number of break-ins in this instance. I’d urge anyone who observes something they feel is out of place and could be related to crime to call 101 as soon as possible”.
We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of the following crime prevention advice:
For more burglary crime prevention advice please visit: https://www.surrey.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/
Anyone with information can call 101. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress always dial 999.
Alternatively, if you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.