THE POLICE have revealed details about crime in the Chilterns after a ‘spike’ in burglaries plagued residents last year.

The residents in Chesham, and Amersham and the Chalfonts experienced a rise in burglaries since July 2022, prompting the local police teams to issue a warning. 

Now the crime data for the last part of 2022 shows how many homes where targeted and how burglars gained entry in some cases. 

Burglaries in Chesham

 

Chesham Neighbourhood Policing Team’s Sergeant Roy Evans said burglary concerns have been “near the top of priorities for a number of years.”

Dwelling burglaries have increased since October 1, he noted.

There were nine offences where houses were targeted compared to six the previous year. Other offences included seven cases, where sheds or garages were the primary target.

“Although we have seen a slight increase in Chesham, I am pleased to say that Chesham has one of the lowest burglary rates compared to other areas of South Buckinghamshire Policing area,” he said.

Vehicle crime in Chesham has fallen by 36 percent between October and December last year. There were a few number plate thefts and two catalytic converter thefts during quarter four.

A total of 16 vehicle crimes were reported in Chesham between October 1 and December 31, compared to 25 the previous year, and 20 incidents in 2020.

Burglaries in Amersham and Chalfonts

 

In December, the Amersham and Chalfonts area saw “a spike in the number of residential burglaries,” the police Priority Crime Team warned.

Nine burglary suspects have been arrested since September 1, and cases with “positive outcomes” to date stand at 19. The burglary detection rate for the area was four percent, Amersham Neighbourhood Team’s Sergeant Darren Walsh said.

As part of the investigation, the police identified several burglary series where the criminals followed the same method.

Burglaries in the first series occurred between 2pm and 8pm. They involved smashing of the rear patio window before the suspects search for jewellery.

The police counted 33 of these types of offences since August 16 last year, and they believed offenders were ‘cross-border’ offenders travelling into the policing area using stolen or cloned vehicles from Hertfordshire, London Metropolitan area or Surrey.

Offences classed as series two saw burglars enter through first floor using a ladder or garden furniture to access a window via flat roofs during daytime and mostly in the afternoon.

This may be part of a national offending series, Sgt Walsh said.

Amersham saw 45 burglaries between September 1 and December 7 2022, compared with 18 the previous year. Residents in the Chalfonts reported 27 home burglaries from September 1 to December 7 last year, compared with 14 the previous year.

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“Locally, dog units and armed support units are supplementing local response units tasking patrols to the west of the LPA where offending is highest. We also utilise a dedicated burglary patrol vehicle at relevant times, where available. The Rural crime taskforce is also being utilised in patrolling the targeted area when available. We implemented Op Gabriel, our burglary winter campaign and we have to hope we see some positivity from this. DI Clarke has also overseen a concerted social media campaign in the lead up to the festive period and the message of home security is paramount.”