The force is asking people to look at their properties through a thief’s eyes as part of a summer burglary prevention campaign. Officers are sharing advice and offering security items to help reduce risks.
Merseyside Police have launched a new summer crime prevention campaign titled "Think Like a Thief," aimed at reducing the risk of burglary. The initiative encourages residents to evaluate their homes from the perspective of an offender, allowing them to spot and secure potential weak points before they can be exploited. According to Ben Wayment, the Burglary Lead for Merseyside Police, crime rates often rise during the summer months because people are more active, often away on holiday, and may be more likely to leave properties unattended or insecure.
Wayment emphasizes that burglars look for simple opportunities, such as unlocked doors, open windows, or valuables left in plain sight. "The summer does tend to see a spike in offences of burglary, and that's for a number of reasons," he said. "People are out and about just that little bit more, people are taking holidays, and for those reasons, there is a bigger opportunity for people to target houses that might be unoccupied."
A significant focus of the campaign is the security of car keys. Burglars may use tools to reach through letterboxes to hook car keys left in close proximity to front doors. Once the keys are retrieved, offenders can steal a vehicle without ever needing to enter the home. Wayment also warned of sophisticated "relay devices" that allow criminals to remotely copy data from keyless entry fobs. By using these devices from outside the home, thieves can unlock and steal a car from a driveway without ever having physical possession of the key. To counter these methods, the police recommend keeping valuables out of sight and utilizing Faraday bags, which can block signals from keyless fobs.
Windows also serve as a common point of entry, often due to being left open or simply pried open by opportunistic thieves. The force advises that residents keep all doors and windows secured, even when they are at home. "You can purchase smart doorbells, you can purchase burglar alarms, but there's a lot more low-cost measures available for people to help them to make their homes a lot more secure," Wayment added. These low-cost solutions include window locks that bolt from the inside, which can make it significantly more difficult for intruders to gain access.
Merseyside Police are currently working to provide such security measures, including window locks and Faraday bags, to residents free of charge through local neighborhood officers. Wayment urges the public to have a conversation with their local officers to discuss these opportunities. The campaign supports wider, ongoing efforts by Merseyside Police to address burglary, which saw a reduction in the previous year. The force maintains a commitment to investigate every residential burglary, ensuring all opportunities are used to identify those responsible for these crimes.
