Bury St Edmunds – burglary appeal

Police are appealing for information after two burglaries in Bury St Edmunds.

The first incident took place between 2.15pm and 3.30pm on Tuesday 10 July at a property in Oliver Road.

An internal conservatory door was smashed before keys and a quantity of cash were taken.

The second incident took place in Westley Road where two men were seen leaving a property at around 3.45pm. A window on a lean-to structure at the property had been forced but it is not believed anything was taken.

Officers are linking the two incidents and are keen to speak to anyone who saw two white men acting suspiciously in the Oliver Road/Westley Road area at the times stated.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Suffolk Police on 101 quoting reference 38363/18 or 38370/18. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555111 or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

As the warm weather continues, Suffolk police offers the following safety advice to residents:

LOCK

• Lock all doors and remove the keys before leaving the house.
• Keep front doors locked even when you are at home and especially if you are in the back garden.
• Close all windows fully before you leave the house, lock downstairs windows and remove the keys.
• Use window limiters to allow air in instead of keeping windows fully open, even when you’re at home.
• Install window locks on upstairs windows that can be easily accessed by a flat roof.
• Lock back gates using a sturdy lock such as a closed shackle padlock to no less than CEN 3-4 security grade or 5 lever lock.

LIGHT

• Make your home look lived in – use timer switches if you’re not home.
• ‘Dusk-to-dawn’ sensored security lighting is a cheap, low cost way of making sure the front of your home or shed/outbuilding is well-lit.
• Visible burglar alarms can make burglars think twice; get specialist advice and consult your insurance company.
•You could also consider installing a Ring doorbell camera. For more information, visit
https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/latest-news/27-02-2018/suffolk-teams-smart-home-security-company-tackle-burglars.
• Hedging and shrubs to the front of your property should be pruned to no higher than 1m and trim trees up from the ground to 2m. This will allow a clear line of sight across your property and will stop the garden being used as a hiding place.

HIDE

• Keep your valuables, jewellery, cash, passport and deeds to your property in a safe.
• Never leave spare keys in an open place. Be aware, burglars know all the usual hiding places so never leave a spare key under the doormat or under a garden gnome.
• Keep dustbins and wheelie-bins away from fencing/gates as these can be used by thieves to climb into windows or used to escape.
• Make sure valuables are property marked. Take photographs and keep a note of any serial numbers.
• Don’t leave equipment and tools lying around that can be used by burglars to break into your home, such as hammers, shovels or gardening tools. Keep ladders locked away and out of sight.