In recent weeks burglaries have been on the rise in the Basildon, Southend, Rochford and Castle Point areas. The police have asked that if you get “mistaken” visitors knocking at your door to contact your local police station as there is a chance that the knock is just to check to see if you are home or not.
In the last fortnight alone there have been 93 burglaries in Southend, Rochford and Castle Point alone. The Christmas period always sees a rise in burglaries but this recent spate seems to have come earlier than usual. Also, some would-be victims have contacted the police already to report suspicious behaviour.
The increase is burglaries is by now means restricted to this region alone. Central Essex has also seen a rapid increase in cases. Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon and Uttlesford have all seen more house burglaries during the first few days of December.
Sergeant Rob Kirby from the CID Target Team at Southend police station explains how the criminals are working:
“A mistaken caller may seem completely innocuous to you at the time, but if this happens to you and you turn them away, you may be diverting a potential burglar. If you receive a call at your front door by someone who gives an excuse as soon as you answer, please ring police immediately after they leave. This way, we can respond as soon as possible and try to locate the mistaken caller to stop and search them. We would much rather be called out and find that all is in order than to miss an opportunity to catch a burglar.”
Calling 101 takes your through to the Essex Police non-emergency line. You can find out more on their website, www.essex.police.uk.
