Northamptonshire Police give advice on how to protect your home from burglary as nights get darker

Northamptonshire Police has released a list of burglary prevention tips in a bid to encourage the public to do everything they can to prevent their homes from being targeted this winter.

‘Operation Crooked’ is Northamptonshire Police’s campaign to reduce burglary. The operation ensures that every burglary victim in Northamptonshire is guaranteed a visit from the police.

The operation also aims to review and drive up the quality of investigations, manage and progress forensic hits, hunt down wanted people, organise police patrols in areas of concern and gather intelligence to prevent burglaries before they happen.

Detective Superintendent Paul Rymarz leads the Force’s Burglary Team. He said: “Let me start by saying that there is only one thing that causes burglaries and that is burglars. In an ideal world, having to consider crime prevention tools to stop your home from being broken into wouldn’t be necessary but the reality is that there are people out there who will look to burgle your house and steal items that you have worked hard to buy.

“However, burglars generally don’t like to work too hard to get into someone’s property, preferring to look for places they believe are an easy target.

“Therefore, ensuring you put some simple crime-prevention mechanisms in place can drastically reduce your chance of being burgled.”

Tips to protect your home from burglary

Keep front and back doors locked at all times and keep keys and valuables out of sight and reach from cat flaps, letterboxes, and downstairs doors and windows.

If you’re out in the evening, make sure you leave a light on and draw the curtains. If it’s dark before you get home, use timer switches to turn on energy-saving lights.

Light up your front door with dusk to dawn lighting – make sure it’s visible from the street.

Don’t forget about garages, sheds and outbuildings – make sure they’re locked and secure too.

Invest in an alarm system if possible.

Try not to leave your house in silent darkness. Just leaving a radio on could make a potential burglar think twice.

Never leave a spare key outside your house - burglars know all the usual hiding spots.

Keep bins away from windows when they’re not being used as they can be used as a climbing aid for burglars.

Consider joining or setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Find out more about Neighbourhood Watch in Northamptonshire at northantsnhw.co.uk or call the Neighbourhood Watch Chair on 01933 229499 for more information.

If you have any information about burglaries or suspicious activity in your area, call Northamptonshire Police on 101.