Hi -
We're on Waldram Park Road (which backs on to Rockbourne) and got burgled on 3 Sep - whilst I was in the garden! Ground floor flat, all the windows were locked, but they used a plastic card and slipped it down the front door to click the latch. Took all my jewellery from the last fifteen years, my handbag, my work inside the bag, my purse, sunglasses, perfume, watch, anything portable basically. They used the contactless function on my cards several times through Catford and Lewisham that night.
Police say that they often ring the bell to check people are in (even if the lights are on, they know some people leave them on to deter burglars). If you answer, they give some lie about looking for someone or other, and say 'wrong house', and if you don't answer, they try their luck and break in.
I now have the alarm on when I'm inside, and I always double lock the door and use the chain...
Police said get good outside lights, use your dead lock, keep bins away from places they can be used as steps over fences etc. It's hard to do it all, but worth doing what you can to prevent the frustration and upset of being burgled.