Police checks find one in ten doors unlocked

Jan 12 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

POLICE have discovered that one in 10 villagers leave their doors unlocked.

Officers carried out checks in Golcar and Cowlersley to see how easy it was for burglars to sneak into homes.

The Valleys Neighbourhood Policing Team visited 1,064 homes in the villages, finding the front or back door unlocked in 96 of them.

Insp Mark Trueman said: “In many cases officers entered properties and weren’t challenged by the occupants until they called out to them.

“On almost every occasion the occupants were in but they were either upstairs, in the kitchen or in the living room.

“None was in a position to see or hear their doors being opened.

“In one of the houses we checked the occupant had gone out shopping and left the door unlocked. A laptop and a handbag were in plain view in the living room.

“The officers eventually asked a neighbour to look after the property until the occupant returned.”

He said: “The consequences of leaving your property unsecured are clear. We want people to think about locking their doors as soon as they enter their house.

“If people get into the habit of doing this they are less likely to become a victim of burglary.