Charity boxes stolen in Peaks village burglary spree

A number of thefts took place on the night of Sunday, May 31, including an expensive watch stolen from inside a house.

Theives entered a home on The Dale and stole a breitling Super Avenger Watch, worth upwards of £2,000 as well as a wallet with bank cards and a driving licence.

On the same evening, thieves smashed a ground floor window of The Moon Inn on High Street, Stoney Middleton. Criminals stole several charity boxes from the property, along with forcing open a till drawer. The items were discarded near to the window after thieves discovered no cash was left in the till overnight.

Offenders gained entry to a Volkswagen Transporter that was parked along High Street, Stoney Middleton, stealing a Garmin Sat-Nav

The incident is believed to have taken place between 2pm on Saturday, May 30 to 2pm the following day.

Sergeant Andy Wordsworth, who oversees Safer Neighbourhood policing in the village, said: “We are asking anyone with any information about the incidents to contact us, or Crimestoppers anonymously, so that we can bring those responsible to justice.

“We will be carrying out increased high-visibility patrols in the community, but we are also asking residents to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to us so that we can attend and stop a crime from happening.

“Ensuring that windows and doors are properly locked when leaving your home or going to bed, and making sure that house and vehicle keys are left out of the lock and out of view are just some of the ways you can protect your property against thieves.”

Other top tips for boosting your home security include:

Ensure your property is fitted with locking windows and substantial locks on doors as this will deter criminals;

Keep doors and windows locked even if you are home - it only takes seconds for an opportunist burglar to get into your property;

Leave a light on if you are heading out and buy timer switches to turn lights on at a specific point;

Fit a burglar alarm and if you already have one, use it at all opportunities;

Mark your property with kit such as SmartWater and get bikes security marked, too;

Register valuables for free on the secure website immobilise.com, which helps police reunite recovered stolen items with their owners;

Be vigilant and report suspicious activity immediately to the police on 999 if a crime is in progress, 101 in a non-emergency or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Anyone with information about the incidents mentioned above, is asked to contact police on 101, quoting master crime number 22801/15, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For further crime prevention advice, or to speak to your local Safer Neighbourhood team, call 101.