Burglaries
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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22-10-2010 10:46 AM
There have been several burglaries in the Forest Hill, Honor Oak and East Dulwhich areas. I was one of the most recent victims of this crime and goods of great sentimental value were stolen despite the house being alarmed and well secured. FH, HO and ED have now become hot spots for this type of crime.
Please be vigilant and watch out.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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22-10-2010 11:59 AM
I heard that in ED the local councillors give away anti-burglary kits, which the police would like to see funded. Is there any reason why we do not have this initiative in our borough?
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NewForester
Posts: 379
Joined: Feb 2008
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22-10-2010 12:10 PM
The Police were handing out Smartwater a few months ago. It might be worth asking the CPO for a bottle when you see him.
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IWereAbsolutelyFuming
Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
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22-10-2010 12:26 PM
Bad luck SpringCat, being burgled is not nice.
Have the police / crime figures confirmed there is a peak in this kind of crime in the areas you mentioned?
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Erekose
Posts: 557
Joined: May 2010
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24-10-2010 07:56 AM
Yes my sympathies as well. We were burgled back in June when three 'lads' kicked our front door open. Luckily they were caught and prosecuted. They pleaded guilty and are now doing some no doubt helpful 'community service'.
Burglary seems to have become much more prevelant in this area recently (see the other threads) - to the point where our community police representative visited us a few weeks ago to warn us to be vigilant.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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27-10-2010 09:27 AM
Thank you
Where do I get these cans from? I do not remember that they have given those in our area.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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27-10-2010 09:34 AM
I have read the latest report for the area which said burglaries are down in Forest Hill and East Dulwhich. There are also some ADNA kits avaialble, cost £60, but I don't know where you get them from.
I was told by people that burglars fence their goods in pubs. If anybody, any pawnbroker in Forest Hill had goods sold from mid September onwards, please call the police. It doesn't bring luck to anybody buying stolen goods.
My advice is to be vigilant at all time, especially now in occasion of the 5th November celebrations. You go to the Horniman Gardens to watch the fires, someone ransack your home, knowing that you or your neighbours are out that night.
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Brockley_Babe
Posts: 57
Joined: Jul 2009
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27-10-2010 10:40 AM
does the Forest Hill SNT still post on here? If not can someone ask them to post some advice or reassurance - if there is a particular group of people committing these burglaries we need to know what to look out for so we can report any sighting to the police
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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27-10-2010 11:00 AM
unexpected callers, people walking nature trails (or better say now becoming the burglars trails) in the area, backing your home. Many burglars observe houses from the the back gardens, not from the front.
Inform police straight away if an alarm goes off, even by mistake. Better mistaken than sorry.
Write to your councillors and ask for more action to reduce this problem. More CCTV cameras and more police in in our roads. Grouping houses in six to look after one another. More crime cascade on the forum, to report these crimes, so everybody is aware. We may crack the gang operating in the area, we may not, but at least we know.
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Cidered
Posts: 50
Joined: Nov 2007
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27-10-2010 11:59 AM
It's also worth looking at the Met's own crime statistics for SE23: http://maps.met.police.uk/ , although September and October information isn't yet on the website.
Overall reported residential burglary rates look pretty much the same in SE23 for the last few years and we're generally considered a low to average crime area, but that's cold comfort if you've been a victim I know.
I'd be surprised if there are gangs of burglars roaming the streets of SE23, seems more likely to be one or two individuals (who as likely as not are already known to the police).
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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27-10-2010 01:13 PM
It is not just SE23 they are targetting, but also Honor Oak, East Dulwhich, Crystal Palace and Sydenham. You can't have two individuals breaking in at the same time in different places.
Many statistics, report the handling of stolen goods, but not burglaries, yet the two things are connected. If criminals are not caught during the act, that is reported under a different name .
The area has been a hot spot for some time. Few months ago, I understand (but not have received) police distributed leaflets in the area warning people to be vigilant.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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29-10-2010 11:33 AM
This is what the police Website recommends:
Remember, always lock before you leave
Last year, 5,199 people were burgled because they didn't lock their front door. It's easy to leave your front door unlocked, especially when you're in a hurry or distracted. But even if you only do it once, that could be enough to get burgled. Most burglars are opportunistic - they look for an easy way to get in that won't take long or arouse suspicion, so many try the front door first.
How does a burglar's mind work?
Burglary, on the whole, is an opportunist crime. A burglar will select his target because it offers him the best opportunity to carry out his crime undetected and with the fewest number of obstacles in his way. A building that presents itself as unoccupied and insecure is far more likely to be targeted than one which is properly secured:
Side gates open
Accessible windows open
Ladders left out, allowing access to otherwise inaccessible windows
Garden tools available to force entry
Untrimmed hedges or high fences preventing natural surveillance
Each of these makes access to the building far simpler and is an indication to the prospective burglar that it's worth a second look.
Residents of multi occupancy dwellings or flats should be mindful not to grant entry to people via an entry phone system, if they do not know them, and to be cautious of people seeking to 'tailgate' them into buildings.
The question is, are the occupants in?
Milk bottles or parcels on the doorstep
Newspapers and mail in the letter box
Unlit houses after dark
All windows shut in very hot weather
These are signs telling the burglar that he is unlikely to be disturbed in the course of his work. Naturally, circumstances may arise when such situations may be unavoidable. If we can take measures that tell the burglar that this building is too difficult or too risky a target, he will hopefully move on.
TO STOP A BURGLAR,
YOU NEED TO THINK LIKE ONE.
To a burglar, a stuffed letter box is a dead giveaway when you’re not at home. Ask a neighbour to remove your post while you are away.
Are you leaving a thief the key to your house?
Never leave a spare key concealed anywhere near the front door - burglars know all the hiding places
Prevent letterbox burglaries by storing keys away from the front door
Do not label your house keys in case you lose them and they fall into the wrong hands.
Remove temptation
Where possible, try to keep valuables out of sight from windows.
Make it look as though your house is occupied
Install timers which switch lights or radios on and off automatically.
Have a neighbour or friend pop round to clear your letter box or doorstep.
Encourage a neighbour to park on your drive.
If going out after dark, draw the curtains, leave some lights on and a radio playing.
TO STOP A BURGLAR,
YOU NEED TO THINK LIKE ONE.
To a burglar, a dark doorway is an opportunity to hide. Fit a security light over your front door to deter burglars.
If you are away for extended periods.
Cancel the delivery of milk and newspapers
Disconnect the telephone answering machine, or re-word your greeting message to give the impression that you are only temporarily unable to answer.
Enlist the help of a neighbour, friend or relative to keep a regular eye on your property and keep the front door clear of deliveries.
If you are prepared to leave a key with a willing neighbour/relative, ask for curtains to be drawn and lights to be put on at night. If snow is on the ground a few footprints will make the house appear inhabited.
Check your insurance policy. Some insurance policies for contents don't cover you if you are away for more than 30 days.
Set your burglar alarm.
If you do not have an alarm, consider investing a few pounds in a dummy alarm box. It may well deter the opportunist thief.
Remember: Remove the Opportunity - Prevent the Burglary
TO STOP A BURGLAR,
YOU NEED TO THINK LIKE ONE.
To a burglar, a dark house is an empty house. Attaching a timer to a lamp will make your home appear occupied even when it isn’t.
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NewForester
Posts: 379
Joined: Feb 2008
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29-10-2010 01:53 PM
You can buy Smartwater directly from the manufacturer (cost £60 per year). The SNT supplied my bottle - I don't know if they have any left.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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29-10-2010 02:03 PM
thank you. I will ask them for one. No one in our road got one. They say that smartwater is no good for small valuable. Is this true?
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Gone2kent
Posts: 8
Joined: Jan 2008
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29-10-2010 09:32 PM
Why not use the Link Newforester has given
For example
What sort of items can you mark with SmartWater?
SmartWater is a generic system and can be used to code virtually any household item – from a wedding ring to an LCD TV to a lawnmower.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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09-11-2010 02:53 PM
I may be able to get a spare from police.
Regarding recent burglaries in the ward. Does anybody know how many have occurred? Has anybody been caught yet?
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michael
Posts: 3,262
Joined: Mar 2005
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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11-11-2010 01:13 PM
Did anybody manage to get the figures for Forest Hill. I could not be there yesterday for the reporting.
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Offthecouch
Posts: 1
Joined: Nov 2010
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18-11-2010 09:53 PM
Hi there, I've just joined the forum having lived in SE23 now for 8 months. Sadly the first post is also to report a burglary that happened back at the start of October in Northwood Road. Two bikes we're stolen from the rear of the property, as a terraced street I had naively assumed our back garden was a safe and secure place to have the bikes but unfortunately this is not the case. The thieves had somehow gained access to the rear of the properties and climbed over numerous garden fences to remove the bikes.
It's a shame to be writing such a negative post but hopefully by alerting you to this incident and sharing the information with you we may avoid future thefts.
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SpringCat
Posts: 60
Joined: Oct 2010
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19-11-2010 06:38 AM
So sorry to hear you had this experience, especially that you moved only few months agon in the area.
The area itself is not bad, but recently we are hearing more and more of these negative experiences. Some people say they are local drug addicts, well known to police, others say people from other countries, latest ones entered the EC. We don't know, others say some sort of sickos. Who knows.
Did the police do anything? Are they investigating or are you like me another statistic? Once they give you a number they don't want to know. My burglary was around that time in the Horniman area. No one called the police despite the alarm being triggered off.
Still nothing has been reported, although I saw a middle aged stocky woman around Victoria Station with one of my necklaces, By the time I realized it, she had gone among other people. It was very upsetting.
and even if I stopped her, it could have been me to be in trouble, not her.
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