Bristol homes in top 20 burglary hotspots

Homes in the BS7 postcode area of Bristol are more likely to be burgled than other areas of the city.

Research shows that BS7 was among the top 20 burglary hotspots in the country.

Avon and Somerset police have long known that Bristol's main burglary hotspots are Redland, Cotham, Bishopston, Montpelier and Ashley Down.

They launched a new campaign to combat walk-in burglaries this summer.

The sunny weather often results in a rise in this type of crime as people tend to leave their doors and windows open.

A dedicated webpage - www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/holiday - has been set up providing crime prevention advice, as part of the 'Criminals Don't Take Holiday's' campaign, and posters will be displayed in local community centres.

Police in Bristol have made 135 arrests since the beginning of June after an increase in walk-in burglaries.

Burglary is a priority for the force and a dedicated team of officers focus their efforts on tackling the most prolific offenders.

The team regularly interview offenders, conduct house searches, take witness statements and attend court cases.

Detective Inspector Joseph Goff works on the Bristol burglary team.

He said: "With offences such as house burglaries a few prolific offenders are responsible for a large percentage of the crimes we investigate.

"Burglary is a priority crime in Bristol and everyone on the team is committed to detecting offences and holding the offenders to account for their actions.

"We work closely with other police departments and partner agencies to do all that we can to put a stop to repeat offending.

"We will also often call upon the support of response units and the neighbourhood teams to carry out house searches, house to house calls and provide a reassuring presence in areas following a crime."

"We have been working hard, particularly in our hotspot zones, and have had great success with around a 36 per cent reduction in burglary in these areas."

Peter Juul, 54, from Cotham, knows only too well how important it is to remember home security during the holiday season.

His home was broken into after he left two small windows open in his study at the front of the house.

Mr Juul, an IT consultant, said: "Officially I was on holiday but I was doing a bit of work in my study at home on the ground floor but it was quite a hot day so I opened a couple of small windows in there to let the air through.

"It was during the day time and I wondered off to the living room for a break, only to discover when I got back that someone had got in through the window and snatched my laptop along with a couple of other bits.

"My first reaction was that I was very annoyed. I know that it is important to back up everything on your computer regularly but the last time I had backed up my computer was around four months previously.

"So, although the financial loss of the computer wasn't a great aggravation, trying to recreate some of the work that I had done in the last few months and losing some other things was a great inconvenience.

"I was only out of the room for a few minutes and I was very surprised that something like this could happen as quickly as it did.

"I called the police as soon as I realised the laptop was missing.

"They attended very rapidly, dusted the windows for prints and arrested someone almost immediately.

"I would say to others that they should be aware that these sorts of things can happen when you are at home even in the day and to make sure that you secure your home at all times – even if you are just leaving the room for a few moments."