Double burglary Landells Road (November 24)

[Sharchat]

My house was burgled last night at 3.40am. They broke in through a very small window in the lean-to by prizing it open busting the lock from the wood. As I had just returned from a holiday I had all my documents, jewellery and kindle in my bag which was sitting in the kitchen. This was emptied onto the ground in our back garden. kindle and jewellery stolen (which included a necklace bought by my mother in law for my wedding and one for my daughters birth). Our neighbours home was completely ransacked.

The scariest thing if all is that I think they tucked my four year old daughter into her bed to stop her from stirring.

If anyone has any information about this please message me.

The Police advised us that there have been a lot of burglaries in this area so please crank up your security especially in the run up to Christmas.

Thanks.

[giggirl]

Sharchat - sorry this happened to you, especially if they went into your daughter's bedroom.

I just wondered - how can you be so precise about the time being 3.40am? I do have a reason for asking rather than just being nosey.

[muffins78]

Oh Sharchat! I'm really sorry about what has happened to you and your neighbour! I would be exceptionally upset! But I'm truly shocked about your little girl, I hope it didnt happen, it's unreal if it did. :(

I hope you'll all be okay and take care.

[Sharchat]

I was awake as was suffering from a stomach bug all day. My daughter let out a little cry so I looked at the clock before going downstairs. We have a friend staying with us at the mo and I assumed he was just getting a drink from downstairs. I hope you feel my pain as I was actually hearing these people rob me

[Gillemot84]

So sorry to hear about this, must be really upsetting.

Can I ask which end of the road you live at, we've heard of a few attempted burglaries in the past few weeks.

[landlover]

I'm Sharchat's husband; we live mid terrace at the top end of Landells (so between Goodrich and Lord Lane); with garden backing onto gardens of CPR houses - which is how I think they gained access, via one of the alleyways.

[James Barber]

How awful.

Hi landlover,

We can obtain funding to gate those alleyways - didnt realise any were there. Please email me seperately and we'll get them closed to non houseowners.

You can also have a free property marking kit and other crime prevention items. The Police who visited should have explianed tihs. If they didnt please email me and will ensure you are offered them.

[landlover]

Thank you James; 'alleyway' may have been slightly misleading - the two houses/buildings directly behind us are not joined up/terraced, but I think the alleyway between them is in fact part of their garden(s); this is all assumption as I have not gone to look for myself but taken from what I remember - I will go and check later this evening.

[Huggers]

we used to have an alleyway running between gardens that in victorian times was where the dustbins were collected. Over the years householders reclaimed bits of it with council permission and now all ends are blocked off. Before this burglars could access gardens from the street. Now they would have to burgle someone from the front and then access everyone else from the back.

so sorry for your experience, sounds absolutely terrifying.

[RicB]

Shame, sorry to hear, what a horrible experience for both you and your neighbour, even worse that you heard them downstairs at the time and didn't realise what was going on. Thankfully though they didn't harm anyone. I hope the police crank up their patrols as well.

[bobbly]

SORRY TO HEAR that sharchat, at least you are all ok, physically, though I guess its the psychological impact of burglary that you are experiencing now. I do hope it does not affect you in the long term. there have been a spate of burglaries and attempted burglaries carried out this way. did you have window locks? and if so which ones, be good to know which ones to avoid if this is the case, or if there is anything else that we could install to protect ourelves better and of course yourself to give you peace of mind.

[Ejb123]

This seems to be a worrying recurring problem. The area needs more uniformed police and I think the council need to respond to the number of burglaries that seem to be happening.

I am so sorry this happened to you, especially with your child in the house. Thank goodness you are all ok.

[landlover]

Thank you all for your messages, both here and PMs, it's some comfort to know that people care. :)

I'm still raging and have engaged super-sleuth mode, however futile that may be; I visited a few houses on CPR yesterday evening, including the houses directly behind ours, one of which also experienced an 'attempted' break in at the same time - sorry guys for scaring you (I think they thought it was the culprits coming back for seconds) - of course the ONLY alleway on CPR that doesn't have the high 10ft (ish) boarding above the gates would be the ones behind our house! (and please don't think that I'm apportioning blame here, I'm not, just indulging myself in sickening irony)

Another irony, having done the above and walking home, who did I see on Landells Road - a Bobby walking the beat - ha!

Sainsbury's have CCTV - sadly nothing, the Plough Cafe has CCTV which I'm going to check out later, there's a construction depot on Goodrich that has CCTV I think....so even though it's unlikely...still going to try. I'm hoping to find people/businesses on all the roads off CPR (Landcroft, Thompson etc...all the way down if I have to) that have CCTV; if you do or know of someone, please get in touch.....Thanks again all.....there is a similar post on here about CPR, within that DST mentions that they interrupted a break in...and I'm certain it's the same people (timings/method)...if you do have CCTV....we're looking for 3 men between (guessing here) 3.30 and 4.30am on Monday morning...

[Ruskin]

Here's a sorry from another sympathetic resident, done over at 4.00am by persons unknown who entered via the back and came up our creaky stairs before realising we were in bed. We're still stressed about it years later.

And slightly off target - but what is CPR? I'm guessing Crystal Palace Road.

[landlover]

Thanks Ruskin, and yes, your guess is correct; I've seen it written by others in this abbreviated format and being a sheep with no mind of my own, I had to copy.

Thanks for your words though.

[Sue]

bobbly Wrote:

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there have been a spate of

> burglaries and attempted burglaries carried out

> this way.

xxxxxx

Although this may well be true, do bear in mind that because we have this forum, we are much more likely to hear about local crimes such as burglary and muggings.

They happen everywhere in London, but unless you are directly affected or know someone who is, you will usually remain in blissful ignorance.

If you've done everything possible to make your house secure - whether you are in or out - then try not to stress about it.

I was burgled whilst alone, and in bed, in a house in a quiet part of Devon in the eighties, so this kind of thing can happen anywhere. I heard noises but thought I was imagining it. Luckily I didn't go downstairs as they had used a kitchen knife to cut through my TV cable which was running through a hole in a shelf. Also luckily, they didn't come upstairs, so they must have known someone was in :(

Sadly it had the effect of my neighbour buying two guard dogs and installing them in a kennel in his garden, where they barked much of the night just below my bedroom window (so a bit useless if there was another actual burglar, as everybody would just ignore them) :(

[bobbly]

I am not stressing sue I just need to put some new locks on my windows for insurance purposes, so just enquiring about which ones to buy so I don't purchases anything inadequate. To be honest i often bemused when people tell me to be careful as there have been some burglaries in the area. I, like you, just take sensible precautions in my own home and crack on with life.

[ianr]

There was some talk about sash window locks in this thread of September 2010, http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,537002, though some of the attachments may no longer be there. I don't know, but it might be that having a pair of the "sash stop" type, one on each of the side panels (stiles) of the window, might be more resistant to leverage from a jemmy or spade under the lower window. See eg http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/security-for-existing-windows/581/locking-sliding-sash-windows/. But I'm sure you can get good advice from the local police crime prevention officer or Callow Locksmiths, whose shop is now in Melbourne Grove.

[Sue]

bobbly Wrote:

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> I am not stressing sue

xxxxxx

No, didn't mean to imply you were, but somebody else posted on the thread to say that they were still stressed about a burglary which had happened years ago whilst they were in bed.

Understandable, obviously, but if you've done all you can security-wise, there's nothing more that you can do really, so being stressed just makes things worse :(

[polla2256]

That sound like a similar MO to the bastard that tried to rob me last week.

[strae]

Very sorry to about the incident, sharchat/landlover... Must be a terrible experience. Thanks for letting us know and good luck with the sleuthing!

[chauveau]

Another burglary to add to the list...i was burgled on underhill road during the day today. Everyone double lock your doors! Very frustrating and upsetting.

[landlover]

Sorry to hear about other people being 'hit'....and thank you again for all the support etc.

We had a Community PC round last night as part of the post event support and she mentioned that this area is now a hot spot and that there is money for CCTV; quite when and where I don't know, but that can only be good news for the future.

Sleuthing was on hold last night, I was too exhausted, but it reprises today...

[nubby'smums]

Scary stuff. Chauveau, please tell us more - we live on Underhill. How did they get in?

[jim_the_chin]

Thanks to the OP for raising this. We're on the same stretch and I've always felt safe as, well, houses really. But we're getting our windows fixed as a result of this post, without it we might have been more vulnerable so out of your pain comes some good in making us safer. Cheers.