Whilst the Tonsleys aren’t  particularly a burglary hotspot, there have unfortunately been 3 incidents over the last month – 2 of theft and one of attempted theft.

In the last 2 weeks, 2 properties – one at the bottom of Fullerton Road and one on Tonsley Place – have been broken into. The burglaries took place at night whilst the owners were away.

The attempted robbery however took place in the evening across the road from us a few weeks ago on Tonsley Hill.

It’s a ‘nice’ technique to gain access to a property and make off with whatever is to hand. The scammer looks out for properties with the front curtains open and starts to measure up the property frontage – staying on the street – using a tape measure. The house occupants naturally wonder what the hell is going on and open the front door and come out to question the person. If it’s a man, the response is ‘Just surveying the street’. If it’s a woman, the thief runs into the now empty house pushing the woman to the ground, grabs whatever is to hand, and makes off.

If you see anyone, by themselves, at a strange time, measuring your hedge, fence or wall, DO NOT open the open the front door. Take a pic with your phone from the window and call the police.

We hope this isn’t the start of a rise in crime as the Tonsley are seen to be ever more affluent.

Details about how you can protect yourself are here on the Operation Bumblebee website: PDF .

An alarm system, outside security lights and as few dark corners as possible can all help considerably.

Please let us know about any other attempts, successful or otherwise.