It has been reported in the news this week that two men have been arrested in connection with a break-in at the York Minster residence of the Dean of York on the evening of the 11th of April.

Expensive jewellery, as well as other property, was taken from the Deanery by the male burglars, aged 39 and 40, confirmed North Yorkshire Police who have been investigating the incident.

The burglary at the home of the Very Reverend Keith Jones was reported straight away at around 5.30pm by the Minster Police and the two suspects were found running away from the scene and were arrested by police officers.

Stolen items including a stolen laptop and watches were recovered from the two men, who were taken into police custody and are now due to appear at York Magistrates’ Court on suspicion of burglary.

As well as this Minster Yard break-in, the 39-year-old suspect is also facing charges relating to the attempted burglary of a York property on the 1st of this month.

Following incidents such as this it is always necessary to consider your own home security provision. If you do not have an effective burglar alarm and other suitable deterrents, then you could find your property is targeted by burglars.

It has been reported this week that a homeowner returned to his property only to find that a burglary was still in progress.

The victim, Jonathan Marwood, of Melborne in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was confronted by a man who had an axe in his hands.

As soon as Mr Marwood noticed that the home had been trashed then he commented to his wife that they had been burgled. However, the thief was still present at the time and responded to the homeowner’s claims.

Philip McNamara, 30, who has since been convicted of burglary at Hull Crown Court, then fled from the scene, with the owner in swift pursuit.

Mr Marwood phoned the police and identified the criminal, leading to the subsequent arrest just a week after the crime had been committed. The burglar had taken thousands of pounds worth of jewellery from the home in the raid.

McNamara was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Jeremy Baker QC, but was acquitted of aggrevated burglary.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington explained in court:

“Mr Marwood had entered his kitchen through the open rear door and walked into the hallway, saying to himself out loud ‘we’ve been burgled’. A voice behind him replied ‘you are being burgled’.”

Home security is such a key issue nowadays, so it is important not to leave doors open when you are outside, making sure to lock them behind you.

Sussex Police have offered crime prevention advice to those living in an area recently targeted by bogus callers.

At the weekend burglars took money from two properties, both owned by elderly women, by using distraction techniques to gain access to the homes of the victims.

Operation Inroad is now underway by police to track down those responsible for these crimes.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said:

“Distraction burglary is a hideous crime that causes great distress to the most vulnerable members of our community. We take it extremely seriously and are doing all we can to tackle it.

“Residents are reminded to be on their guard at all times when approached by strangers at their homes. Keep your doors locked, even though it may be tempting to keep them open in this warm weather.

“When answering your door keep the door chain on and ask to see ID. If you are unsure about who the callers are then refuse them entry and call police if you think they are suspicious.”

With distraction burglary, the criminal is looking for ways to enter a home and so it is always important to heed the advice of police and always ask to see some form of identification. You should also ensure your property is fitted with a suitable burglar alarm too.

A force-wide appeal has been set in motion by Kent Police which aims to target burglary in the county and inform people about keeping their properties safe in the lead up to summer.

The campaign has been set up to tackle crime over the coming months, as the weather starts to get warmer and the evenings remain lighter for longer.

As part of the initiative, west Kent detectives have circulated images of jewellery recovered from a break-in at a Snodland address, as they look to track down the owners of the stolen necklaces and broaches.

Police officers have targeted those they suspect of carrying out burglaries and theft in the county and hope to reduce the crime statistics.

At a crime reduction event which was held in Wrotham and Borough Green recently, police urged the public to mark their property with security pens so it can be traced back to them if it was stolen. This includes items like mobile phones, mobility scooters and bicycles.

The coordinator of the campaign, Chief Inspector Lee Russell, said:

“Burglary has fallen significantly in recent years, however, opportunist thieves at this time of year will look for homes where occupants have gone out and left their windows open.

“Our message is: Don’t wait until it’s too late – take some simple steps now so you and your property stay safe this spring.”

About 50 police officers were required last Tuesday to carry out coordinated raids on the homes of burglary suspects in the city of Southampton.

This action was in response to an alarming increase in the number of properties being targeted by criminals in recent months.

Six arrests were made by the police during the morning searches and stolen items such as jewellery, bikes and gaming consoles were also recovered from their residencies.

Around 40 homes had been hit each week as burglars stepped up the frequency of break-ins in the city.

After gathering intelligence on those suspected of carrying out these crimes, the uniformed police officers moved in to make the necessary arrests as part of Operation Cimex.

Detective Sergeant Andy Hedley said:

“It’s been a very successful morning, and I’m sure there will be some further arrests as a result of today’s operation.

“We want the community to know that we’re proactively seeking the offenders of burglaries and those who are handling stolen goods, and we won’t just sit back.

“We will, where intelligence shows people are involved in the handling of stolen property, seek warrants through the magistrates’ courts and we will be knocking on people’s doors.”

The problem of burglaries is becoming an issue for homeowners up and down the country, so ensuring your property is installed with an effective burglar alarm is a must in this day and age.

It has been reported that Crimewatch is to screen a reconstruction of an aggravated burglary incident which occurred at the property of John Caudwell, who founded the mobile phone company Phones4U, last November.

The BBC programme is set to show how the masked robbers broke out into the house in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, and attacked Mr Caudwell, before stealing a significant amount of jewellery and cash before fleeing the scene.

The businessman suffered an injury to his forehead, although his partner Claire and another woman who were also present at the home at the time, managed to escape unharmed.

Mr Caudwell and his partner are also expected to speak about the ordeal when the show is broadcast this Thursday evening.

Police have confirmed that a £50,000 reward has been offered by the insurance company for details which lead to the offenders being convicted and for the safe return of the stolen property.

The investigation is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Tim Martin of Staffordshire Police, who said:

“Our detailed investigation is on-going, and we have a dedicated team of detectives pursuing a number of lines of inquiry.

“We are appealing for people to contact us to give us any information they may have regarding the burglary and the jewellery that was stolen.”

In the last article we explained the type of property a burglar was likely to choose as the target of their break in. This was all thanks to the results of a poll published by Halifax Home Insurance. This certainly made for interesting reading and will make many people think about upgrading their current level of home security.

The poll revealed that homeowners living in a £153,000 semi-detached property have the most to worry about and the threat is even higher if they have a number of the most up-to-date gadgets and computers on display from the front window.

When it comes to the cars people drive, a vehicle which is renowned for not having the latest security features installed such as an Audi A4 or a Volkswagen Passat, often makes the property more at risk of burglary.

The thieves questioned described how they try and choose a nice neighbourhood, which isn’t too posh, as they expect that the home security in most of these properties will not be up to scratch, yet will still contain the same kind of valuables as somewhere more expensive.

The research found that the most popular items to steal from a home are video games consoles like the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3 as well as mobile phones like the iPhone and BlackBerry.

If you want to protect your home against the threat posed by criminals, then it is wise to invest in an appropriate burglar alarm and make your house look occupied whenever you go out.

Recent research by Halifax Home Insurance has found that criminals tend to look for middle class semi-detached properties as the perfect target to steal from.

The poll, which took in views from burglars who were on remand, revealed that homeowners in these areas are most at risk.

The burglars generally steered clear of properties that were too expensive (more than 258,000) as they expected home security measures to be in place. This is also because these larger properties usually have more rooms, which make finding valuables fast much more difficult.

The findings also showed that burglars considered homes with posh motors on the drive to be more of a challenge too, expecting them to have high quality locks and security alarms.

The senior claims manager at the insurer, Martyn Foulds, said:

“It’s clear from our report that burglars take a lot of factors into consideration when choosing a home to break into and deciding what to steal. Hopefully this study will make people more aware of the easy things they can do to keep their homes safe.

“There are many ways homeowners can help protect themselves such as keeping ‘desirable’ items out of sight from the front windows, and understanding that even within the home, sensitive items should be kept in a safe and discreet location.”