Burglaries drop following convictions

Conmen from across the country had been preying on elderly and vulnerable people in the town - and in other affluent areas such as Beaconsfield - leaving victims traumatised.
But working with police forces across the south east, including the Metropolitan police, Thames Valley has caught a number of the people operating this network.
Two of these, a 23 year old man and a 25 year old man, were arrested during a police pursuit in Warwickshire after they were spotted driving a stolen car from Beaconsfield. Both will be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on December 8 for conspiracy to commit robberies across the Thames Valley, Suffolk, Warwickshire and Essex during the summer of 2007.
Chief inspector George Wrigley, South Bucks police commander, said: "I am glad we have been able to catch and convict the criminals who were behind the series of distraction burglaries we saw last year.
"Distraction burglary is a priority crime for the police because the offenders often target the most vulnerable in society."
Ann Mitchell, chairman of Age Concern in Gerrards Cross and the Chalfonts, welcomed the news that two of the villains had been caught, and offered advice to elderly people on how to protect themselves.
She said: "I would advise anybody, especially those living alone, that if the bell rings after dark not to open the door without asking who it is. I don't let anybody into my house who I don't know unless they have very believable credentials.
"The first thing that anybody is providing a credible service will do is pull out a card with a picture, a signature, and the name of the organisation they work for. If they do it fast it's up to you to say that you want to have a look at it."