Spate of burglaries at unoccupied properties in Chesham and Chalfont

Following a number of burglaries at unoccupied properties, residents in areas of Chiltern and South Bucks are being urged to remain vigilant by Thames Valley Police.

Eleven burglary dwellings were reported in Chesham and Chalfont between Monday 1st and Sunday 14th August 2016. The majority occurring overnight and whilst the occupants were either away on holiday or out for the evening. A similar incident was reported in Amersham during the same time period.

Many of the burglaries involved offender(s) breaking in through ground floor windows by either forcing them open or by removing their frames.

As part of an investigation by Thames Valley Police a 35 year old local man from Chesham has been arrested on suspicion of burglary. He has been bailed until Thursday 15th September 2016.

DC Lisa-Marie Flitter of Chiltern and South Bucks Local CID, burglary team, said: ‘I am appealing for local residents to be vigilant and to follow simple crime prevention advice to help reduce the risk of further incidents.

If you have a summer holiday planned away, please make sure you do not leave any obvious signs around which would attract a burglar to your empty home.‘

She added: ‘Domestic burglary is a distressing and devastating crime which can have a significant impact on the whole family. It can take a long time to come to terms with the loss of personal possessions, as well as the loss of confidence that a stranger has been in your home.

I would like to reassure residents that we take all reports of burglary very seriously and we will do all we can to catch those responsible for such offences.‘

The following crime prevention advice has been offered by Thames Valley Police :

• Make your home look occupied.
• If you’re out or going away, ask a trusted neighbour to open and close your curtains for you.
• Ask a neighbour if they don’t mind ad hoc parking on your driveway or putting your bins in and out.
• Cut the front and back lawns before you go away and trim any plants that burglars could hide behind.
• Cancel milk and newspaper deliveries.
• Before your holiday, don’t advertise that you are going away on Facebook, Twitter etc.
• Double-check that you’ve locked all outside windows and doors.
• Set your burglar alarm.