Cops appeal for public alertness to keep burglaries down

RELEASE ADVISORY AHEAD OF LONG STRETCH OF HOLIDAYS
GANGTOK, 19 Dec [IPR]: Incidents of theft and burglary have been reported from some parts of the State in the recent past. The Police has been quick to respond, and, in a few cases, apprehended the accused and recovered the stolen properties. It has come to light that most break-ins occur when houses have remained locked and unoccupied for long durations, as per a press communiqué received from the Office of the Dy. Inspector General of Police/ Range, Police Headquarters, Gangtok.

A disturbing trend noticed in such cases is the involvement of young men, mostly below the age of 18 years. The law requires these Juvenile offenders to be treated differently and may be because of this many of them have been found to be involved in repeat offences. Handling and preventing crime by such young offenders is proving to be a big challenge to the Police.
While efforts are in place from the Police to prevent crime, the result of such efforts would be manifold if the public also remain alert to the movement of strangers in the neighbourhood and alert the Police.
In view of the long stretch of holidays in the coming days, the following advisory is issued to the general public to minimize the chances of crime:
1. Do not leave cash and jewellery at home if you are likely to leave your home on a long holiday. Ideally keep them in bank lockers.
2. Alert the watchman and the neighbours to keep a watch on your household.
3. Install burglar alarms, steel grills on exposed doors/ventilators.
4. Do not discuss your travel plans with strangers.
5. Keep the lights on in one or two rooms and outside for deterrence.
6. Request relatives/ friends to occasionally check your house during your absence.
7. Keep the local beat Constable/PS informed if you are likely to be away for long.