WILTSHIRE Police is focusing on reducing the number of burglaries over the festive period.

The campaign is the final stage of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) national burglary campaign. Officers are supporting the ACPO campaign by taking part in a series of proactive activities to target known offenders and provide the public with the advice they need to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of this crime.

This includes increasing patrols in burglary hotspots, monitoring known offenders through the use of automatic number plate recognition, stop checks, regular home visits and checks on bail conditions, and encouraging the public to increase their home security. Officers have issued the following advice:

• Lock all doors and windows whenever you leave your property

• Don’t keep large amount of cash at home and ensure valuables are positioned away from windows

• Don’t leave keys near a door or window and never hide a spare set outside

• Consider investing in a burglar alarm and installing external security lighting

• Mark the valuable property in your home and register serial numbers with a property register company such as Immobilise

• If you see or hear anything suspicious, contact police immediately Detective Chief Inspector Nick John, head of serious crime at Wiltshire Police, said: “Burglary is a very distressing crime and we are therefore fully supportive of this national campaign.

“Although Wiltshire does not have a high number of burglaries compared to the national average, we are never complacent and will always pursue ways to further reduce the number of crimes.

“Given that Christmas is fast approaching and people are stocking up on presents, it is particularly important that the public adhere to security advice to prevent their Christmas being ruined.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.