Anyone living in a reasonably affluent area will probably be aware of the increased likelihood of homes there being targeted by burglars. After all, homes in such areas are more likely to contain valuable goods that thieves can sell on profitably.
Matters have got so bad in one area of Surrey that homes there have been given private security cameras in a bid to curb a spate of break-ins, Get Surrey reports.
Police have been supplying the cameras to residents in Godstone and Bletchingley in the east of the county, where burglars have been targeting outhouses and sheds and stealing items such as gardening equipment and bikes.
The local force has spent nearly £400,000 on providing the equipment, with over £310,000 coming from the government’s Safer Streets funds and the rest from Surrey Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend.
Ms Townsend said: “This funding will not only improve the safety and security of residents living in that area but will also act as a real deterrent to criminals who have been targeting properties.”
Another area, that may benefit from increased use of security systems, is West Sussex, as it is also an affluent area and, like east Surrey, largely rural and thus prone to burglars being able to access gardens from fields, woods and other places where they are less likely to be seen.
Garden tools and bikes are the most common items to be stolen by thieves from garden sheds, garages and outhouses. They are often a target for thieves in the summer as warm, dry weather can tempt people to leave items outside, especially tools they have used in the garden and plan to resume using the next day.
This can leave easy pickings for criminals, whereas a secure shed with security cameras will offer much more protection.