Households have been advised that choosing to keep homes secure should be a high priority during the summer months.
According to Cheltenham Police, criminals are “quick to exploit any slackening of security” at this time of year, such as doors and windows being left open on a hot day.
The force has therefore urged people to take precautions to stop opportunistic thieves from being tempted to strike.
Inspector Roddy Gosden of Cheltenham Police commented: “Now we’re finally getting a bit of sunshine, we do urge people to make sure doors and windows are closed and locked when the room is empty and when the house is unoccupied.”
Households have also been advised to avoid leaving valuable items on display so they are not visible through a window.
In addition, people were encouraged not to leave large quantities of cash in their house, as well as mark expensive goods with an indelible marker or use a forensic marking system, as this would ensure they are identifiable in the event of them being stolen.
Cheltenham Police has also suggested homeowners photograph items such as antiques and pieces of jewellery that might be hard to describe and back up records stored on their home computer on disc, so they can still access the files if the computer is stolen.
Inspector Gosden pointed out that the number of burglaries in Cheltenham has come down by more than a quarter over the last year.
However, he insisted that the force is refusing to get complacent and intends to continue working to both detect and prevent crimes in the area.
People who spot something that “looks or feels suspicious or out of the ordinary” were urged to get in touch with the police to report their concerns.
Inspector Gosden added that the force would rather get calls that “turn out to be something legitimate” than miss a chance to catch an offender or prevent a crime.
Cheltenham Police issued the advice to keep homes secure following a spate of burglaries in the last few days, in which the thieves were able to strike because doors were left open or unlocked.
