'˜Spike' in local house burglaries

Police in the district have vowed to continue to focus their attentions on those areas affected by burglary and criminals intent on committing this type of crime.

Responding to incidents that have occurred across the area, Lisburn and Castlereagh District Commander Supt. Sean Wright said: “In terms of figures, we have seen an overall 24 per cent decrease in burglaries compared to last year but we have experienced a spike during recent weeks.

“We are not complacent, however, and we continue to work to drive down figures and are determined to work hard to minimise the risk of burglaries as far as possible. For us, one burglary is one burglary too many.

“We constantly review and monitor occurrences and where hotspots or spikes in criminal activity such as burglary are identified we react immediately. We continue to use a variety of overt and covert methods to disrupt and detect criminals, and we are working closely with colleagues in An Garda Siochana to disrupt and detect travelling criminals so as to bring them before the courts.

“We work in partnership with the Police and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) and acknowledge the good work that they are doing in raising awareness and supporting victims.

“We will continue with our regular anti-burglary patrols and are encouraging everyone to report suspicious activity to us – no matter how insignificant it may seem, the report of a suspicious vehicle or people acting strangely in your neighbourhood can help us to prevent and detect crime. We would like all of you to help us spread the message. Domestic burglary has been and will remain a priority for us.”