Burglary Prevention Advice for Residents

Burglary Prevention Advice for Residents

Here’s an update on burglary locally.

As the evenings grow darker and many people spend more time away from home during weekends and the festive period, the risk of burglary can increase. Fortunately, a few simple precautions can go a long way in protecting your home and deterring opportunist offenders.

Many burglaries occur when thieves take advantage of insecure properties, gaining entry through unlocked doors, windows, garages, or outbuildings.

To help keep your home secure, please consider the following crime prevention measures:

Leave lights on or use timer switches when you are away to make your property appear occupied.
Keep gardens and hedges well maintained to reduce places where offenders can hide.
Ensure garages, sheds, and other outbuildings are locked and secured.
Cancel or redirect regular deliveries if you are going away.
Where possible, use outdoor power sockets for festive lighting rather than leaving windows or doors open for cables.
Avoid leaving packaging from expensive gifts or purchases visible outside your property, as this can advertise valuable items inside.

If you see any suspicious activity in your area, please report it via 101 or online at met.police.uk. In an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, always call 999.

Residents are also encouraged to join their local Neighbourhood Watch scheme. To find your local scheme or start one in your area, please visit the Neighbourhood Watch website.

Working together, we can help keep our neighbourhoods safe and reduce opportunities for crime.

Across London, we’re now arresting more than 1,000 extra criminals every month and seeing local crimes like burglary, robbery and theft start to fall, with ‘neighbourhood crime’ down 14%.

While we will continue to pursue burglars in the area, there are steps you can do to help keep your property safe. Please go to our website to find the latest advice and guidance on keeping yourself safe and protecting your home.

You can report an incident of burglary by using our online reporting tools at https://www.met.police.uk , speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101.

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