Attempted burglary

Sadly someone has tried to break into our house over the last few days (high end of Lowther Hill), thankfully unsuccessfully.

We are a lower ground floor flat and have a bathroom window on the front of the house, but oblique from the street. We have good double glazing which is left open a crack on snib closing (ie they can be opened a few centimetres but no further). We keep these open 5cm or less as we do need ventilation after morning showers but any wider and the local wideboy tom cats sneak in and eat our cat’s food.

Someone tried to break in over the last few days by trying to jemmy open this window. They didn’t succeed, though have broken the interior of the plastic sash (so the window will now need to be replaced at some cost).

101 gave me a CRN but I also got a polemic from the guy on the other end of the phone about how there was nothing we could really do to prevent burglary as CCTV is generally useless and if someone is determined they will get in. Not very reassuring! However a SOCO will attend in the next few days, and I am reassured that our window was strong enough to deter the opportunist from getting in.

That’s at least two successful break ins and one unsuccessful on Lowther Hill in the last two weeks, so neighbours, please keep your windows shut and take precautions.

Sorry to hear that, and very annoying you will have to replace the window at cost to you.

I’m surprised they have said CCTV is useless, I’d have thought it was useful (if the quality is good enough) - it certainly can’t hurt.

Whilst I suspect it’s true if someone is really determined they can get in, my understanding is that burglars want easy options, so the harder we make it for them, the less likely they will persist with your property.

Good luck and I’m happy they did not get in.

Thank you Irmani for your post. In the last month there has been an alarming spate of burglaries on ‘the hill’. I live on Lowther Hill and the owner below my flat was burgled via the gardens during Christmas plus his car keys were searched for and found and his car stolen. Today I heard of an attempted burglary last night on a house in Duncombe Hill - using an axe. Please can we get our local police more interested in protecting/patrolling our area considering that it has been targeted lately? Even on the ITV/BBC local London news, the police are vocalising that ‘there is little the police will do - especially if it doesn’t involve huge sums of money’ - surely this is music to criminals ears and aiding and encouraging those who are doing it, to do it more.

I think this means that you have a burglar living near you.
I have a variable air brick in my bathroom for ventilation when required.
CCTV will probably deter some burglars and should make identifying them much easier.
Burglars do usually look for the easy option. Make it as hard for them as you can.

I believe their was another attempted burglary on Duncombe Hill in the last day or so so sounds like someone (or some people) doing the rounds locally around there, Lowther Hill etc. Am not on those roads but near and got a police letter about making sure we take precautions to make things harder. Will grab it and post a photo of it. I don’t think we should be overly concerned, but just make sure we try to take as many preventative measures as we can (wherever we live).

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