Wokingham

Residents in the Westcott area of Wokingham are being urged to be on their guard following a recent spate of burglaries.

Since October 19 there have been a number of incidents in the area, south of the London Road and east of the Wokingham town centre, where offenders have gained entry to properties by smashing windows and kicking open doors.

Homes in Tudor Close, Sturges Road, Easthampstead Road, Milton Road and Denton Road have all been targeted recently and the property that has been taken ranges from televisions, laptops and jewellery to cash, alcohol and financial documents.

Wokingham LPA Commander Ch Insp Tony Ismay said: “This spate has emerged over the last couple of weeks and is characterised by the offenders using a lot of force to break into the properties and then stealing anything they can find.

“These types of offences are rare as most burglars will not bother if they have to make a lot of noise and effort to gain entry to a property. They are also opportunistic as the offenders grab whatever property they can.

“I would like to reassure residents that we have a number of operations in place to tackle this problem and catch those responsible.

“I am also keen to remind them of simple security steps that can be taken to reduce their chances of becoming a victim.

“For instance, I would recommend fitting visible burglar alarms, as this may make the offenders think twice about breaking in, and fitting timer switches to lights so that it looks like someone is always at home.

“Other good tips include fitting ‘dusk to dawn’ motion sensitive lights outside, fitting top and bottom locks to patio doors and fixing chains and bars to front doors.

“We know burglaries cause a lot of distress to residents but simple measures such as these really do work.”

Anyone with any information about these burglaries, which all took place between October 19 and this Thursday (2/11) should contact Loddon Valley CID via 0845 8 505 505.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham