Appeal for information following series of burglaries

OFFICERS from Warwickshire Police are investigating eight burglaries in the south of the county on Wednesday 10th May.

The first two incidents reported occurred on Newbold Road in Wellesbourne. At between 10.30am and 1.30pm offenders forced entry to a flat and carried out a search before leaving empty handed.

On the same road at between 10.45am and 3.15pm, offenders forced entry to another flat and left with a quantity of cash.

The third reported incident occurred between 1.30pm and 2.00pm near to Heydons Terrace in Farnborough. Offenders gained entry to the rear of the house but left with nothing after being disturbed by neighbours.

The fourth reported incident occurred between 3.35pm and 4.15pm on Abbey Lane, Southam. Offenders gained access to the rear of the house and left with jewellery, cash and a computer.

The fifth reported incident occurred between 5.00pm and 5.10pm on Wasperton Lane, Barford. Offenders forced entry to the front of the property before leaving with a quantity of cash after being disturbed by the home owner.

The sixth reported incident occurred between 8.30am and 5.20pm when offenders forced entry to the rear of a house on Kineton Road, Gaydon. It is not yet known if anything was taken.

The seventh reported incident occurred between 8.00am and 5.25pm on Willow Drive Wellesbourne. Offenders forced entry to the rear of a house and left with a quantity of cash.

The eighth reported incident occurred between 8.45am and 5.50pm at a house on Kineton Road in Gaydon. Offenders forced entry to the rear of the house. At this time, it is not known if anything was taken.

In two of the incidents, witnesses reported the offenders using a white Volkswagen Golf.

Sergeant Simon Ryan said: "We're currently treating these incidents as linked and we're also looking at possible connections to other recent burglaries in the area. We think there were at least two offenders and we're trying to put together a timeline of the offences to get a better idea of the their movements.

"These offences occurred during the day so we're confident that local people will have noticed someone acting suspiciously in the areas around where the offences took place. I'd urge anyone with information to contact us, especially if they saw a white Volkswagen Golf.

"We're following a number of promising lines of enquiry and any information, no matter how small, might be vital to the investigation.

"In most of the cases, access has been gained at the rear of the properties so I would urge people to check rear access to their property, making sure all gates and fences are secure and there are no tools in the garden that could help offenders gain access.

"It looks as though the offenders were looking for jewellery. I'd advise anyone with valuable jewellery to keep it secure and out of sight, preferably in a safe. Don't make life easy for burglars.

"We will be carrying out targeted high-visibility patrols in the areas affected to deter the offenders from striking again."

Officers are offering the following advice to residents to help keep their properties safe:

• Lock windows and doors when you are not in the house, even if you are just going into the garden
• Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from letter boxes
• If you're going away on holiday ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your property
• Leave a light and radio on if you are going out at night to make it look as though someone is in
• Make sure rear access to your property is sturdy and secure
• Keep ladders and tools secure so they can't be used to gain access to your property
• Mark valuable property with your postcode and house number and register for free with www.immobilise.com
• Keep valuables out of sight of windows
• Keep valuable jewellery secure, preferably in a safe

If anyone has any information that could help police with their enquiries they should call 101 and quote incident 172 of 10 May 2017. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org