Weather
Police chief calls on public to help slash burglaries (From Echo)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting ECHONEWS to 80360, or email us »
Police chief calls on public to help slash burglaries
8:40am Tuesday 19th January 2010
THE Chief Constable of Essex Police has vowed to slash the number of burglaries – by urging residents to make their homes more secure.
Jim Barker-McCardle said the force deals with up to 30 burglaries a day, but believes it could be cut to single figures.
In mid-November, Essex Police launched Operation Hornet to tackle the number of home burglaries. It is already seeing results, but now Mr Barker-McCardle said he wants homeowners to play their part.
He said: “On a good day we get about 15 or 16 burglaries a day, rising to 30-odd on a bad day. I believe if the public heed our advice, we could reduce it to single figures.
“Essex could easily become the safest place to live in terms of house burglary in the country if we can get that final piece of the puzzle, but we need home owners to work with us.
“Operation Hornet is a long-term and extremely determined campaign to further reduce house burglaries and residential burglaries in Essex.
“Comparatively, Essex is a pretty safe place.
“Incidents of burglary are much lower in Essex than in other parts of the country, but with the active co-operation of householders we can drive levels of house burglary even lower.
“As a police force, we have always, and still do, set out to ruthlessly take down and prevent burglaries happening but there is still more we can do because a lot of the burglaries that occur are still preventative.
“Most burglars are determined, but it is very easy to put them off burgling your house because they don’t want to run unnecessary risks.
“People leave their car keys beside the door and we have arrested people for going equipped for burglary after they have been caught with a fishing rod.”
As part of Operation Hornet, the force has more than 50 officers available to target trouble spots as they occur.
Officers are visiting areas looking for houses which could be obvious targets, such as those with doors left open or all the lights off, and to offer home owners advice.
Leaflets and an online campaign will also spread the message.
More Billericay stories
- Young reporters get their news on the web
- We’re exemplary! Buttsbury Junior School kids praised by Ofsted
- Conservation revamp for wildlife site
- Barleylands pulls out of teenager’s plan for music festival
- Parliament can’t back up Baron’s mortgage claims
- Driver rescued from flood water in Billericay
- Carving honours U-boat's war victims
- My music festival to rival V
- Expert shows the point of fencing
- Appeal granted to build behind bank
Your Say YourEcho
lifelongislander, Canvey Island says...
2:41pm Tue 19 Jan 10
evilc, essex says...
8:08pm Tue 19 Jan 10
Nebs wrote:Excellent Nebs.
Is it necessary to have GCSE Maths to be appointed Chief Constable? If Essex has 15 burglaries on a good day and 30 on a bad day, perhaps you can explain why the number of burglaries in Essex were:
.
Sept 2009 - 1,052 - 35 a day
.
Oct 2009 - 1,186 - 38 a day
.
Nov 2009 - 1,280 - 42 a day.
.
The figures come from YOUR website, http://maps.police.u
k/view/essex/
.
It seems like every day is a bad day in Essex. Come on Chief Constable, we know you read this, so post your explanation.
.
If you didn't try and spin the statistics, to show things are better than they really are, then maybe you would be able to exert some pressure to get funds for the extra police officers that are so badly needed in this area.
.
Given that many burglaries are committed by the same group of people, would you also tell us what you are doing to try and get judges to lock up these offenders, rather than send them home after they are found guilty.
I am seriously concerned when a new Chief Constable starts by saying his first priority is to get the Public to take more physical security into their lives.
I appreciate that the first priority of a Police Officer is Prevention before Detection BUT surely the best prevention is Police Officer having a high visible presence thus deterring crime, That situation will not be helped by making hundreds of office staff redundant, someone will have to do their work, I hope otherwise why the hell were we paying all those wages for years.
To advise the public to lock, bar and bolt down everything creates a siege situation.
In truth WHY not speak the truth:
This Government have done more to help the criminals than anyone in history.
Nebs, Westcliff-on-Sea says...
9:13pm Tue 19 Jan 10
.
To be fair, they have found a lot of flats where cannabis is being grown, although it is a shame that the occupants are often not present for the "bust".
It would be nice if they gave ALL the crime stats on their website, rather than being selective - the cynic in me thinks they have something to hide. For example, if Drugs are top priority why are the statistics for drug crime not shown?
Co-operation – Chief Constalbe Jim Barker-McCardle has called on home owners to help cut burglaries by making their homes more secure
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Nebs, Westcliff-on-Sea says...
10:15am Tue 19 Jan 10
.
Sept 2009 - 1,052 - 35 a day
.
Oct 2009 - 1,186 - 38 a day
.
Nov 2009 - 1,280 - 42 a day.
.
The figures come from YOUR website, http://maps.police.u
k/view/essex/
.
It seems like every day is a bad day in Essex. Come on Chief Constable, we know you read this, so post your explanation.
.
If you didn't try and spin the statistics, to show things are better than they really are, then maybe you would be able to exert some pressure to get funds for the extra police officers that are so badly needed in this area.
.
Given that many burglaries are committed by the same group of people, would you also tell us what you are doing to try and get judges to lock up these offenders, rather than send them home after they are found guilty.