DETECTIVES are reminding people to better secure their homes after figures reveal 40 per cent of burgled houses were left unlocked.
Last year there were 805 reports of house burglary in Portsmouth and 326 of those targeted had been left unlocked.
Detective Constable Chris Dinenage from the Fratton Priority Crime Team said: ‘Portsmouth has seen a 14 per cent reduction in dwelling burglaries in comparison with the previous year but in order to see a further reduction we need to stop the big proportion of opportunist thefts from insecure homes.
‘We will continue to do all we can to investigate these crimes and to catch the people responsible but you can help us to prevent it from happening in the first place.
‘A large number of these crimes can be avoided if as a home owner you always lock your doors and windows when you are away from the home, in another room or sleeping.
‘If you have a UPVC door with a multi-point lock you should ensure you lift the handle and lock it with the key as just lifting the handle alone leaves it vulnerable.
‘If you see anyone behaving in a manner that strikes you as at all unusual please do not hesitate to report it to the police.’
Anyone with information about dwelling burglaries should contact the police by calling 101. If a crime is in progress you should call 999.
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