Police issued a warning this afternoon after eight burglaries in the Jericho area of Oxford.

The properties were targeted over two weeks and five of them were as the result of people not locking doors properly or even leaving them open.

The incidents have been:

  • September 27, between 5.30pm and 8pm. St Bernard’s Road; a gold bracelet was stolen
  • September 28-29, overnight. Richmond Road; 12 bottles of champagne stolen using an empty cello case found at the scene
  • September - Oct 1. Cranham Terrace; black denim jacket containing keys and a driving licence
  • September 30 - Oct 1, overnight. Cranham Terrace; iPod and its docking station, laptop and camera
  • Oct 1-2, 4pm - 7pm. St Bernard’s Road; a window smashed, but failed to gain access
  • Oct 3-4, 4pm - 7pm. Worcester Place; laptop
  • Oct 6, 9.30pm - 10.30pm. Observatory Street; purse containing £60 in cash and bank cards
  • Oct 7-8 , 10.10am – 12.30am. Great Clarendon Street; Apple Mac laptop, two digital cameras.

Det Sgt Marc Tarbit, who leads the Oxford Burglary Team, said: “We seem to have at least one person targeting properties in the area and some Jericho residents have made the burglar’s job far easier for them.

“It is vital that people take at least the basic steps to keep their properties safe: being burgled is a traumatic experience that no one would want to go through.

“Make sure all doors and windows are secure when you leave the house. If you are going to be out all day, set indoor lamps on timer switches to come on at dusk to make it look as though somebody is at home. You can even leave a radio on to add to the impression.

“In the meantime, I would also recommend those who live in Jericho to be especially vigilant. We are putting on extra patrols and investigating all the leads we have. But if you have seen someone acting suspiciously around your or your neighbour’s property, contact me and tell me what you know.”

Det Sgt Tarbit can be contacted via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don’t want to talk to police and don’t want to leave your name, call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.