Police say: Lock up your houses
2:00pm Sunday 5th September 2010 in News
BURGLARS are having it easy in Bolton — because too many people leave doors and windows unlocked.
Police are launching a fresh crackdown and calling on people to lock up their homes following a recent spate of burglaries.
The number of burglaries in Bolton has risen to 138 in August, an increase of 22 compared to the same month last year.
Figures show that more than a third of those were due to doors and windows being left open or unlocked.
The areas which have been most affected are Heaton and Breightmet.
Superintendent John Lyons said: “I can’t begin to stress how traumatic it is to find that a stranger has been into your house, gone through your belongings and then stolen whatever they deem to be of any value.
“On some occasions, thieves also take car keys and make off with the family car as well.
“More than a third of victims in Bolton who have had to suffer this ordeal have done so needlessly, as the crime could have been avoided if they had simply locked their door or window behind them.
“Many of these victims have also been burgled when they were actually at home, but had left the door or window unlocked while they were in another room.”
Motorists are also being asked to help by reducing the number of valuable items, such as sat navs, that are left on display in cars which tempt thieves to break in.
Police are advising people to remove all items from glove boxes and then leave it open to show it is empty.
