Reminder to be vigilant following spate of burglaries

We are reminding residents to be vigilant following a spate of burglaries and attempted burglaries in Stoke-on-Trent.

At around 5am on Monday (16 February), two men attempted to enter a house in Meir Park before searching through an unlocked car parked outside.

We received another report at 5.15am that two men had tried to enter another home in Meir Park twice overnight.

Nothing was reported stolen.

At 5.50am on Monday (16 February), we received a report of an abandoned car in Meir. Following an investigation, we found that the car had been stolen from outside an address in Meir Park overnight.

Shortly before midnight on Monday (16 February), two people attempted to steal a motorbike from a garden in Fenton. They left the scene when an alarm went off.

At around 3am on Tuesday (17 February) a black Honda motorbike was stolen from a house in Fenton.

Our investigations are continuing.

Sergeant Will Evans, of the Stoke-on-Trent south local policing team (LPT) said: "“We are working hard to disrupt this criminality and continue to remind people of the importance of keeping their doors locked and vehicle keys secure and out of sight.

“We know that burglaries have a significant impact on people and our communities, that’s why we are determined to do all we can to keep people safe.

“Two arrests were made this morning (Wednesday 18 February) following an attempted burglary in Forsbrook, and officers are continuing to take proactive action to investigate these reports and stop those responsible.

"If anyone has any information or CCTV footage that can help us in our investigations, call us on 101."

To deter potential burglars from accessing your home and valuables, we advise that before leaving home, you:

• Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you’re only going out for a few minutes
• Install key safes out of sight and remove any keys that are not required on a daily basis
• Double-lock any door
• Set your burglar alarm
• Make sure the side gate is locked
• Lock your shed or garage
• Lock your bike inside a secure shed or garage, to a robust fitting bolted to the ground or wall, like a ground anchor.

 For more information and security advice, visit: Keep burglars out of your property | Staffordshire Police.