7:09am Thursday 23rd August 2007
By Helen Gabriel
A DRIVE to reduce the numbers of house burglaries across parts of North Yorkshire will be boosted next week when police take part in a national campaign.
As part of National Home Security Week, they will be encouraging homeowners in Hambleton to take the "burglary challenge" to find out how safe their house is.
They can log on to www.safer-homes.org to check out simple security measures and take the challenge for their own properties.
And police community support officers (PCSOs) will be around the district carrying out home security surveys for previous burglary victims.
All 13 PCSOs in Hambleton have been given Home Office training to undertake the surveys, which include tips on door and window security and alarms, and advice on beating bogus callers.
They will also advise homeowners about using light timers and shed alarms to deter opportunist thieves.
Hambleton Community Safety Partnership now sells timers and shed alarms for less than half the shop prices.
The timers cost £3 each and the alarms are £7. The devices are available from district council offices in Northallerton, Stokesley and Easingwold.
They are only available to residents of Hambleton and proof of residence, such as a utility bill or driving license, must be shown.
The district council's vice chairman, Coun Carl Les said: "Most burglaries are committed by opportunist thieves and take place when the house is empty.
"A significant number of house burglaries in Hambleton are still committed by the offender walking through an unlocked door to find items such as wallets, cash and car keys on display on the kitchen worktops.
"Simply putting away items like this into drawers and locking the house doors might be enough to prevent these opportunist burglaries from occurring.
"And once a home has been burgled it is very likely to be targeted again.
"But by taking some simple crime prevention steps - including using our timers - homeowners can help reduce the risk of their houses being visited again."
National Home Security Week, which runs from August 25 until August 31, is designed to encourage residents to protect their homes.
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