A QUARTER of recent burglaries were “preventable” say police with criminals simply walking into people’s homes through unlocked doors or climbing in through open windows.

Police launched a three-week operation aimed at tackling burglary in south Worcestershire, which includes Worcester, Malvern, Pershore, and Evesham today. Officers will execute warrants, patrol and stop vehicles but will also try and get the public to take more care to secure their homes.

Officers from West Mercia Police will be patrolling burglary hotspots and leaving a leaflet at any home they find unlocked and open to burglars.

Detective Inspector Stu Murphy, leading the initiative, said: “Throughout the year we continuously receive reports of burglaries where thieves have simply walked into people’s homes through an open door or window.

“While the police’s priority is catching burglars and bringing then to justice – something we’ll be doing very visibly over the next few weeks – there is also a responsibility on the householder to stop some of these burglaries from happening in the first place.

“Since the beginning of the month, there have been 20 house burglaries in South Worcestershire.

“That’s less than two a day and while it is reassuring this figure is so low, a quarter of these could have been prevented if the householder had locked their door or window.

“We hope our three week operation will deter and disrupt the activities of burglars and that as part of this, the leaflets will increase residents’ awareness of home security and stop them from becoming a victim of crime in the future.”

The leaflet which will be going through the doors of people who leave their homes insecure. The leaflets – which have been funded by the South Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) – remind people of the steps they need to take to protect their property in order to avoid being a victim of burglary.

Speaking on behalf of the CSP, Jude Langton said: “Burglary is an invasion of someone’s personal space and can really affect how safe people feel in their own home.”

Superintendent Mark Travis, policing commander for South Worcestershire added: “As we stand today, burglary volumes are more than one third below last year’s level.”

The public are urged to call police on 101 with information about suspicious activity.