The page to the right shows an overall summary for the year.

Vehicle crime remains a mix of theft of articles left on display inside the vehicle and theft of vehicles. There are also a number of criminal damage to motor vehicle offences. A regular crime now is the burglary with theft of a motor vehicle. This is normally using the keys from that dish on the hall table where they are always left, so they can be found when needed.

Burglaries show a number of crimes whereby access has been gained to the rear of residential property by the unsecured back alleyways. If your alleyways have had gates fitted then it is vital that these are not left open. They provide an excellent route for access unseen to the rear of property. Also of concern is that burglaries are being committed by slipping the Yale type locks on doors in unoccupied property. It is essential that you have a mortice lock on your front door, normally five lever. Most household insurance companies will insist upon these being fitted to all external doors.

There have been offences of what is called burglary artifice, where someone pretends to be an official say gas, water, electricity or even Council who needs to check something in your property. Any legitimate official will have no problem with and will take no offence at being asked to produce an identity card. This card will have a telephone number on it which can be used to verify the identity of the person carrying it. If you have a chain on the door and a spy viewer, then it is not necessary to open the door. A very useful type of chain is available which can be locked and only released with a key. This type of chain can be fixed so that it cannot be released except with the key.

The October crimes figures not shown in the table, right,  show a usual mix of vehicle crime, theft from and vandalism - both scratching and cutting through of a vehicle soft top to steal items left in the vehicle. As a soft top is  far more vulnerable to offences of theft from, it is more vital that items are not left on display in soft top vehicles.  Mobile phones and cash were stolen from people and more unusually a basket of laundry was stolen.

The village ward crime figures for October show three crimes.  Theft of and theft from a vehicle and an attempted burglary where keys were obtained through a letter box and  the door opened, setting off the alarm. Those house and car keys which are very usually left easily accessible on that small hall table, by the front door, can with determination be picked up through your letterbox and then used to commit a burglary, or steal your car. Your house and car keys should be kept away from sight and not visible through windows or glazed doors.  Don't make it easy!