Over the last two years crime figures across Melksham have dropped, bar a couple of spikes caused by a particular time of year, an event or crime series.
This is certainly news to celebrate, but as we have ever advanced home security options, burglaries are still happening, and one burglary is one too many for a home or business.
As your local Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), we will focus our patrols on hot spot areas where a burglary is likely to take place; we work with probation when a burglary offender is released from prison and where grounds exist if a known burglar is seen we will stop and search them for items they may use to break into a property.
Wiltshire Police also has a dedicated burglary team that works with surrounding forces and local units such as our NPT to tackle repeat burglary offenders.
But as a home or business owner, what steps are available for you to take? One of the most frequent questions we get asked is how much force can I use on somebody breaking into my property? The answer is, in common law you can use reasonable force to defend yourself and your property, but we would much rather not get to that stage in the first place.
The second question is can I make my property less appealing to burglars? And the answer is yes you can. Here are our top tips:
- Keep hedges, fencing and boundaries at a reasonable height so that your property can be seen by passersby- as can the burglary trying to get in
- Ring doorbells, CCTV cameras are always a deterrent
- Exterior lighting lights up any wrong doing- a great way to put people off
- Lock doors and windows- it sounds very simple but it is often how they get in
- Keep valuables and sentimental items in a safe which can be fixed to the wall or floor
- Do not give out personal details on Facebook or selling sites – most bike thefts occur after they have been advertised online. Arrange for item viewings to take place in a neutral safe public space.
- Do not leave a key in a safe space unless it is a key locker – your original hiding place really is not original
- Look at your shed or garage – do you think you could break in? If so, get that bigger padlock, alarm system or chain. Don’t give a burglar the tools of their trade
- Mark your property and keep security or serial numbers – photos of items help us return items to owners
- Do not get pressured into letting strangers in your home
- Do not leave parcels outside your address- it is a sure way to say you aren’t in and advertises the nice things you have bought.
Together we can make burglars feel very unwelcome to Melksham. For more advice contact our team at TrowbridgeAreaNPT@wiltshire.police.uk
Gemma Rutter, Neighbourhood Police sergeant