Autumn and winter are a burglar’s favourite seasons.

As we move into October, the nights are becoming longer and the need for us to keep our homes well lit is increasing.

We often see the start of a steady increase in burglaries during October that peaks around Christmas and doesn’t begin its decline until some weeks into the new year.

By working together we can keep the number of residents touched by burglary this winter to a minimum.

There are three basic things that make residents vulnerable to burglary; these are: uPVC doors not locked with the key; homes left in darkness when the occupants are out and letting people that you don’t know come into your home.

The winter is the perfect season for burglars. They have the cover of darkness to work in and homes have more valuables inside than usual due to religious celebrations such as Eid, Diwali and Christmas.

Please help my officers to keep you and your property safe this winter. Lock your uPVC door with the key, leave a light on or use a lamp timer if your home is going to be empty for the evening and please don’t be trusting of the stranger at the door.

Always ask for identification. A genuine caller will not mind coming back when a friend or relative can be with you.

If a suspicious caller is persistent, dial 999. Don’t take any chances, just make the call.

My officers would rather attend a dozen false alarms than miss the opportunity to stop you from becoming a victim of crime.

If your home is going to be empty for the evening please do make sure that it is well lit to give the appearance that it is occupied.

This is relatively inexpensive using energy saving lightbulbs and could make the difference between your home being burgled, or passed by.

The darkness makes it very easy for an opportunist burglar to identify an empty property and then steal from it. To a burglar, a dark house is an empty house.

The emotional cost of becoming a victim of burglary often far outweighs the value of the items stolen. This winter, please help my officers to make sure that you and your property are not at risk. If we work together we can beat the burglars.