Don’t be an open invite for burglars

Greater Manchester Police are encouraging all residents to be more vigilant, asking everyone to play their part in helping keep their homes safe and in turn, reducing burglary after the clocks went back this weekend, marking the start of darker nights.

More often than not homes are left in darkness and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are warning residents that burglaries rise at this time of year as opportunities for entry become more apparent to see.

Homes left in darkness can attract burglars as it is often signals no one is home, but taking simple steps such as using light timers, leaving lights on and even leaving the television on can all help deter would be burglars from targeting your home.

Registering your property on Immobilise.com is also a great way to help play your part. Immobilise is a free register for valued possessions such as mobile phones and TV’s and is very effective in helping reduce crime and also returning stolen property to its rightful owners.  Registered goods are saved on a national database which is used thousands of times a day by police across the UK to trace owners, but also identify when property has been stolen on a stop and search for example.

Superintendent Dave Pester, Greater Manchester Police Force Lead for Burglary would like to reassure the public officers are committed to tackling burglaries, and is also keen to encourage residents to do their part in helping keep their homes safe.

He said: “Districts across GMP have plans to reduce the number of burglaries and to target those responsible for committing these high impact crimes. Neighbourhood officers both in uniform and in plain clothes will be active in the hotspot areas identified across Greater Manchester and will be looking to offer advice to those residents whose homes they identify as being left insecure. Known offenders will also be targeted, and neighbourhoods will be given crime prevention information where required.

“Data shows over half of burglaries happen due to homes being insecure.

“Taking simple steps such as keeping doors locked even when at home, ensuring windows are secure and using the alarm if one is installed can all make a big difference.

“Keeping valuables well hidden, ensuring keys are kept away from letter boxes and cat flaps, good outside lighting and investing in a faraday bag (lined with metal to block signal from keys) can all help make it harder for burglars, inside and outside of our homes. Furthermore, ensuring ladders and tools are stored away so they cannot be used to enter your home and keeping hedges trimmed to allow visibility of property all help in our residents playing their part.

“Darker nights create a longer window for burglars to enter homes under darkness, so its important residents use lights to give the impression someone is home.

“Burglaries can happen any time of the day, so it is essential everyone remains vigilant, both day and night. If we can all be more pro-active in following our advice, burglary should continue to fall.

"It is really important that our communities help us to combat burglaries by passing intelligence regarding active burglars and handlers of stolen goods. Crimestoppers enables anyone to pass on such information whilst remaining anonymous. You can call them on 0800 555111."

To report any suspicious activity, please contact Greater Manchester Police via the Live Chat on the GMP homepage, or call 101. In an emergency, dial 999.

• Register your property: www.immobilise.com