Kentish Express Ashford & District
Police link series of burglaries after jewellery is taken
A councillor has urged residents to protect their properties after a worrying eight reports of burglaries in the borough in just four days.
Police have l aunched an appeal for witnesses, and officers believe five of the break-ins are linked.
The thieves appeared to be looking for jewellery in all the burglaries, which happened between Thursday last week and Monday this week.
The break-ins are spread across the town, but the majority were reported in Kennington.
Cllr Philip Sims, Ashford Borough Council member for Kennington, said: “I am very surprised about this because Kennington is a very quiet area.
“We have a Neighbourhood Watch group and you hardly hear of anything like this, and I’ve been told by police that burglaries are down.
“I would just like to remind residents to keep their windows and doors locked, do not make the house look as though it’s empty, and tell your neighbours when you’re likely to be out.
“I’d also like to encourage areas to set up their own Neighbourhood Watch schemes.”
The first burglary was reported to have happened between 5.20am and 5.32am on Thursday last week at a house in Hythe Road, Smeeth.
Luckily, the burglar, who is described as a white man with a big face, made off empty-handed after he was challenged by the occupant.
The second incident happened between 11am and 5pm the next day (Friday) at a house in Malvern Road.
Cash and gold jewellery were stolen from the house and police would like to speak to a white man aged between 20 and 25, with short, dark brown hair and a grey hoodie, who was seen in the vicinity.
More jewellery was stolen from a house in Kingsnorth Road between noon and 5pm the same day.
Jewellery was again reported to have been stolen in a burglary in Arlington between 11.30am and 1.30pm, also on the Friday.
Thieves struck again on Mon- day, with two homes raided in Canterbury Road between 7am and 6pm.
Two further burglaries took place in Northumberland Avenue between 2pm and 2.30pm the same day.
A quantity of jewellery was stolen from one property, and in the second, three men were disturbed and made off in a black saloon car.
Det Sgt Steph Devon said: “We are linking the four daytime burglaries on Monday, June 13, to the one in Malvern Road on Friday, June 10.
“We are actively pursuing a number of lines of inquiry but are keen to hear from anyone who recognises the description of the man in a grey hoodie or who saw a black saloon car in the Kennington area on those two dates.”
If you have information, call police on 01843 222289 or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 quoting reference ZY/19225/16.