Operation Nemesis
Hampshire police begin a new battle to beat the burglar as break-ins across our area soar. Burglaries have shot up 30 per cent in Portsmouth, Southampton, Havant, Gosport, East Hampshire and Waterlooville since April last year. At the same time, four out of five burglaries have gone unsolved. A burglary now takes place every four hours locally while in some areas break-ins have shot up more than 240%.
Now, in a bid to drive down the number of burglaries and lock up more thieves, Hampshire's Chief Constable Alex Marshall has launched Operation Nemesis. Hampshire Police today admitted that the credit crunch could fuel even more burglaries over the coming year. Police will concentrate on burglary hot spots that have suffered most such as Copnor and Noth End where the number of break ins has gone up from 41 to 103, an increase of 151%.
In Waterlooville South burlaries have shot up 175% from 12 to 33 while in Park Gate East which includes Titchfield and Stubbington they have increased 242% from 7 to 24.
More Information from the Police
Top 10 tips
If you want to be certain your house is as safe as you can make it, here are 10 tips you should follow:
- Fit strong locks to external doors and windows, and make sure they are locked at all times
- Always remove all keys from inside locks, and keep them out of sight and in a safe place
- Fit sturdy deadlocks (British Standard BS3621) to all doors
- Make sure your doors and frames are strong and in good condition - wood doors should be at least 44mm thick
- Mark your property - having it marked helps police verify it's been stolen
- Fit a door chain or bar and door viewer (spy-hole), and use them.
- Never leave a spare key in a convenient hiding place such as under the doormat, in a flowerpot or behind a loose brick - thieves know to look there first
- When you are out in the evening, leave your lights on and shut the curtains
- Install outside security lighting; if other people can see your property a burglar may think twice
- Keep your tools and ladders securely locked up – a burglar could use them to get into your house