Those Summer Crime Blues

Sutton detectives are urging householders in and around the borough to remember to close any doors and windows that they have opened during warm weather following a number of burglaries in the area. 


Police believe thieves are particularly looking to take advantage of insecure homes as residents try and cool down.

Overnight on Friday 9th July, £5,500 cash and jewellery was stolen from a terraced property in Constance Road, Sutton, after a bedroom window had been left open. The householder believes the suspect may have posed as a window cleaner and used a ladder to reach the windows because the windows were wet when they returned home.

On Saturday 10th July, a thief put his arm through the top window of a lounge to open the larger window immediately below at a property in Woodstock Road, Carshalton. The haul included two laptops, a sewing machine in a red vinyl case, artists’ equipment and a box of china ornaments.

On Saturday afternoon in Wallington, a thief gained entry through an unlocked kitchen windowa and stole jewellery. A neighbour, who had seen a man earlier enter their shared gate asking whether the householders had lost their electricity power, described the intruder as a white man, aged 30, 5ft 8in tall wearing a white T-shirt with a pattern. He had short fair hair and was clean shaven.

Overnight on Saturday to Sunday (11th July) a couple left their ground floor living room window open when they went to bed. A variety of items were stolen including a laptop, mobile phone, MP3 player, watch, wallet and credit cards.

Sutton Police have issued the following sumertime safety tips:

o       When you go out, always lock the door and close the windows -
          even if you are just going out for a short time. Don’t forget to close and
          lock your windows or doors especially if you are just nipping upstairs or
          going into the garden

o       Window locks, especially on older windows, will help stop people getting
          in (and remember, a burglar is less likely to break in if they have to
          smash a window)

o       Ladders should be padlocked to a wall

o       Use timers for lights and radios if you need to be away from home
          overnight. They will create the impression that someone is in

o       Visible burglar alarms, good lighting and carefully directed and limited
          security lighting can act as deterrents

o       Never leave a garden shed or a garage door unlocked, especially if it has
          a connecting door to the house, which should be treated as an exterior
          door in terms of security.