Police have arrested a man after a spate of burglaries in Boxmoor and Chaulden that had left officers hoping for a ‘lucky break’ to help them catch the crooks.
Patrols of both uniformed and plain clothed police were stepped up following 23 break-ins and attempted burglaries in the area since November 1.
But Dacorum’s head of local crime Det Insp Justine Jenkins admitted they were struggling to catch the thieves and appealed for information from the public.
She said last week: “We don’t usually get that many burglaries in that area so it is quite unusual.
“We have done a massive amount of patrols and have had extra resources in those areas for a number of weeks now. We need to have a lucky break really.”
Now police are hoping to have cracked the case after arresting a 22-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead on Monday evening.
Officers tracked him down after being called to reports of two burglaries in Long Chaulden and East Flint. He is still in custody and is being questioned about the crimes, as well as other burglaries in the area.
But householders are still being urged to check their security in case others are targeting the area.
Det Insp Jenkins said: “While enquires into these incidents continue and a man is questioned, I’d urge people to be vigilant and ensure that they take extra precautions to secure their property.”
People are being urged to double check that their doors and windows are locked, leave lights on when going out or use timers, and ensure outside security lights are working.
They are also being encouraged to consider installing alarms and to post code mark valuables with a UV pen and register them on a free property database such as www.immobilise.com.
Elsewhere in the borough dwelling burglaries are down, with figures for the year to date showing that this type of crime has dropped by 10 per cent – that equates to 33 fewer offences.
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