By Zoe Skerrett
Burglary crime is on the rise in Newton Aycliffe but can be prevented if you remember to lock your cars, windows and front doors.
Since July there have been a spike in reported burglaries, many of which are “2-in-1” crimes where the thief enters a home, takes the car keys and then steals your car.
This was seen in Merlin Court when thieves entered the unlocked house, took the car keys and stole the Toyota Yaris, which later crashed into parked cars in the King’s Drive area.
As a result of this, police visited homes on Merlin Court to enquire about numerous burglary reports on the street to find a house with the keys hanging in the lock on the outside of the house.
Aycliffe’s Neighbourhood Police Team Sergeant Mark Edwards urges residents to ensure their homes and cars are locked at all times in order to prevent crimes that could be avoided.
“In an ideal world we would all like to be able to leave our front doors and cars unlocked but unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world,” Sgt Edwards told Aycliffe Today.
“It’s alright to say that we should be able to nip into the shop and leave our cars open, but that’s not the kind of world we operate in.”
This type of crime can be prevented if people begin to gain a basic concept of security.
With 75% of house burglaries that could have been avoided in recent months, the police are trying to push the security message out to people on social media, via the press and with leaflet drops to remind them that it is not safe to leave your windows and doors unlocked anymore.