Town hit by burglary spree

A TEAM of police officers are working to stop a “very serious” spate of burglaries which have seen nearly 60 offences committed in one side of a Suffolk town in just over a month.

Between December 1 last year and January 4 this year there were 57 burglaries at homes in west Ipswich, with the Bramford Lane, Whitehouse, Old Stoke and Stoke Park areas targeted.

Detective Inspector Darrin Tomkins, who is overseeing the investigation, confirmed last night that some people had been confronted by burglars in their own homes and incidents had happened on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when presents were among the items stolen.

He described the number of burglaries as a “problem”, urging people to come forward and report any suspicious activity.

“They are in focussed and concentrated areas,” he said. “It certainly is high and we are treating that as a priority. We have got a number of leads we are following up and a team of officers working on it.

“We are linking the offences by the geographic area where they are occurring.

“It is a problem now it is high and something we want to nip in the bud.”

Although the burglaries have happened at various times of the day, a good majority have happened during daylight hours and early evening.

DI Tomkins said some people had been confronted by burglars in their homes but added that “no violence has been used against anybody”.

The items taken ranged from electrical appliances to cash and credit cards but DI Tomkins also confirmed that incidents had happened on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with presents being stolen.

Officers were now keeping an “open mind” over whether the burglaries were committed by one person or a group of people, or whether they were unconnected in that respect.

“Every burglary causes anxiety and feelings of invasion of privacy, which is why it is one of our priorities,” DI Tomkins said.

“Therefore, we are treating it as very serious and hence why we have got a team of officers on it. People are distressed as a result of these offences.”

Burglars broke into some properties while others were entered through insecure windows or doors.

As a result, police have issued advice to people so they can help reduce their chances of becoming a victim of burglary.

This includes ensuring windows and doors are locked at all times, removing items from gardens that could be used to prise open windows or doors and leaving a light on a timer switch so the property looks occupied while people are out.

Ensuring valuable items cannot be seen through windows and doors, joining a neighbourhood watch scheme to ensure people look out for suspicious activity and photographing and security marking valuables so they can be easily identified if recovered after a burglary, will also help.

DI Tomkins added: “When we are investigating a spate of burglaries such as these we rely on the public to come forward with information. It is imperative that anyone who notices something or someone acting suspiciously, no matter how insignificant they feel it is, calls us straightaway.”

Anyone who knows who is committing the burglaries or who has any information can contact Dc Steve Clarke at Ipswich CID 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.