FOUR burglaries in Portswood overnight

Four burglaries took place in Portswood yesterday morning where laptops were targeted. 

In the early hours of Tuesday morning four student properties were broken into on Holyrood Avenue, Tennyson Road and Hartley Avenue. In three of these instances entry was gained through insecure locks or windows and in one case a brick was thrown through a window. In each student house the target was laptops that were left on display.

Portswood is a hotspot for crimes like this and so recently Portswood Police Officers have been working alongside Southampton City Council and doing Street CRED (Crime Reduction Environment Days) in the area, targeting the student houses and giving out crime prevention advice.

Hampshire Constabulary have come up with some tips to help protect your houses and belongings:

• Keep all valuables out of sight, if they have a serial number register them with immobilise.com 
• Put lights on a timer switch if going out for the night.
• Lock your bikes in garages with a D lock, if there are no garages / sheds then bring them inside the property.
• Ensure the doors are locked even if you are in the house.
• Ensure that ground floor windows / doors are locked shut if you are in bed or away from the property.
• If you see or hear anything suspicious, please call 101.

Remember: burglars are more likely to target student properties as they are likely to find 4 laptops, 4 iPhones, 4 iPods, 4 bikes, 4 digital cameras etc compared to that of a family home.

A spokesperson from Hampshire Constabulary has told The Tab:

I don’t want to scare students, but I would like them to be more safety conscious, so they do not end up becoming a victim.

Please remember to keep your house secure and your valuables hidden, for more tips from Hampshire Constabulary and The Tab click here.

Have you been victim to a burglary or have any information? If yes, please contact us at [email protected].