Police are appealing for witnesses and urging communities to be vigilant following a series of burglaries across Norfolk and Suffolk.

A number of break-ins occurred in various locations during the day and evening on Wednesday 31 July.

Details of the incidents are as follows:

• Between 10.30am and 2pm, an offender forced a rear patio door and carried out an untidy search. It is unknown if anything was stolen. Rendham Road, Saxmundham, Suffolk. (37/45214/19)

• Between 10.45am and 1.05pm, an offender forced a ground floor window and stole jewellery from within. Tennyson Road, Saxmundham, Suffolk. (37/45230/19)

• Between 11am and 2pm, an offender forced open a door and once inside an untidy search was carried out. Items of jewellery were stolen. Kelsale, Suffolk. (37/45187/19)

• Between 11.20am and 1pm, an offender forced open patio doors and once inside, an untidy search was carried out and an amount of jewellery was stolen. Gisleham, Suffolk. (37/45205/19)

• Between 11.30am and 2pm, an offender forced entry via patio doors and stole an amount of change and a quantity of jewellery. Loddon Road, Gillingham, Suffolk (36/52977/19)

• Between 7.45am and 5.50pm, an offender forced entry via a first floor window and an untidy search was carried out. A watch was stolen. High Bungay Road, Loddon, Norfolk. (36/52996/19)

• Between 1.30pm and 5.25pm, an offender forced entry via a kitchen door and stole an amount of jewellery, cash and china doll ornaments from within. Bergh Apton, Norfolk. (36/52997/19)

• Between 2pm and 4.45pm, an offender smashed a window and carried out a search within. A television and items of jewellery were stolen. Church Road, Upton, Norfolk. (36/53009/19)

• Between 9am and 3pm, an unknown offender entered the property by smashing a rear door. Once inside, an untidy search was carried out and a quantity of cash and items of jewellery were stolen. Damage was also caused to a number of windows. Princess Beatrice Close, Norwich. (36/52987/19)

• Between 3pm and 3.10pm, an unknown person entered via a kitchen door and stole several items including jewellery and watches, among other items. Gurney Road, New Costessey, Norfolk. (36/52986/19)

• At some point on Wednesday 31 July, unknown offender/s smashed a patio door and then carried out a search within. Jewellery and a fob watch were stolen. Colney Lane, Cringleford, Norfolk. (36/52965/19)

• Shortly before 3.55pm, unknown offender/s smashed a patio door to gain entry to a property. It is not believed anything was stolen. Colney Lane, Cringleford, Norfolk. (36/52965/19)

• Between 4pm and 6pm, unknown offender/s forced entry via a back door and stole a Samsung television and an amount of cash. Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norfolk. (36/52960/19)

• Between 6.55pm and 6.10pm, an unknown offender forced entry into a property, carried out an untidy search and stole various items from within. Stanfield Road, Wymondham, Norfolk. (36/52952/19)

As the majority of the incidents in this series involve properties being entered by force rather than because of insecurities, police are urging members of the public to consider installing extra crime prevention measures such as CCTV, security lighting and doorbell cameras as a way to help make their properties more secure.

For further home security advice, visit http://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/home-safety

Police believe these burglaries are linked and anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in these areas on Wednesday should contact either Norfolk or Suffolk police by quoting the relevant crime reference numbers.

Website – http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/existing-report-update

Crimestoppers – Contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their online form: www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Phone – Call 101

Please note in the event of an emergency you should always call 999

Police are appealing for information to find a missing man from Suffolk.

John Brown, aged 49 and from Ipswich, was last seen yesterday (Thursday 18 July 2019) and is believed to be driving a blue Audi A4, index number OU03 WEW.

John is believed to have travelled to the Felixstowe area but could be elsewhere in the county.

He is described as a white man with short brown hair, average build and 5 feet 7 inches tall. He is believed to be wearing black jeans and black shoes.

Police are extremely concerned for his welfare and any sightings of the vehicle or John should be reported to Suffolk Police on 101 or 999.

No picture of John is currently available however please check the following link https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/missing-persons/john-brown where a photo will be uploaded should it become available.  

The following messge is sent on behalf of Hunberside Police -

WANTED: Frederick Addo Boateng

Can you help us track down Ghanaian national Frederick Addo Boateng?

We’re making the appeal today as part of a review of cold cases and are keen to hear from anyone who thinks they may have information about his whereabouts.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Fox said: “The original investigation relates to an incident in January, 2014, when a woman from Goole, East Yorkshire, was raped by a man during a date.

“Our teams arrested Frederick Boateng at the time. However, he failed to answer bail and has been charged in his absence.

“Despite extensive ongoing enquiries we have been unable to trace him.

“We believe that he is still in the UK and it is believed he uses a number of aliases including Nana Kuffour, Sean Frimpong and Sean Friagpon.

“He is now 36-years-old. He’s described as black, around 5ft 8in tall with a tattoo of an eagle on his right arm.

If you believe you can help, please call Humberside Police on our non-emergency 101 line, quoting crime reference number 16/66308/17.

With Suffolk set to enjoy some warm summer weather, police are reminding people to consider their home and vehicle security to deter thieves.

Many burglaries take place due to a lack of security with insecure windows and doors being deemed as two of the main ways in which opportunist thieves gained access to homes and vehicles.

Detective Superintendent Marina Ericson said: "It will come as no surprise that the summer months are always popular for thieves and with warmer weather on the way, it is likely many of us will spend more time outdoors. Therefore, it’s important that we all continue to take security seriously and lock up – even if you’re in another area of the house or in the garden.

"Thieves are opportunist and operate quickly. Typically, they will look for the easy option by looking for gaps in security and are often not afraid to try door locks. If they see an easy way to enter a property and steal something valuable, sadly, they’ll take it so I would urge people not to leave valuable items such as laptops, vehicle keys and jewellery in view of windows.

"It’s important to point out that our solved rate for residential burglary has seen an increase of 2.4% over the past 12 months, demonstrating that burglary remains a priority for the force and we continue to work hard to detect these crimes. Our burglary strategy includes the close monitoring and scrutinising of offences to help us understand crime trends, the methodologies employed by criminals and targetting ‘hotspot’ areas to ensure deployment of our resources effectively.

"Remember to keep garages and outbuildings secure too as burglars often look for times to help them break into homes. Be neighbourly by looking out for your local community and always report any suspicious activity to police. If you believe a burglary to be in progress always dial 999.”

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: "With the fine weather that’s forecast for the coming weeks, it is only natural that we all want to open windows and doors to enjoy the sunshine, but I would ask everyone to be aware of their home security so we don’t give burglars the opportunity to pounce.

"Suffolk is a safe place to live and we want to keep it that way. If we could all take a little time to read the constabulary’s simple tips and check our homes and garages are secure, we will hopefully reduce the number of these opportunist burglaries and have a summer to remember for the right reasons.”

Suffolk police offers the following advice to residents:

LOCK
• Lock all doors and remove the keys before leaving the house.
• Keep front doors locked even when you are at home and especially if you are in the back garden.
• Close all windows fully before you leave the house, lock downstairs windows and remove the keys.
• Use window limiters to allow air in instead of keeping windows fully open, even when you’re at home.
• Install window locks on upstairs windows that can be easily accessed by a flat roof.
• Lock back gates using a sturdy lock such as a closed shackle padlock to no less than CEN 3-4 security grade or 5 lever lock.

LIGHT
• Make your home look lived in – use timer switches if you’re not home.
• ‘Dusk-to-dawn’ sensored security lighting is a cheap, low cost way of making sure the front of your home or shed/outbuilding is well-lit.
• Visible burglar alarms can make burglars think twice; get specialist advice and consult your insurance company.
•You could also consider installing a Ring doorbell camera in order to potentially film an opportunist burglar in action. For more information, visit https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/latest-news/27-02-2018/suffolk-teams-smart-home-security-company-tackle-burglars.
• Hedging and shrubs to the front of your property should be pruned to no higher than 1m and trim trees up from the ground to 2m. This will allow a clear line of sight across your property and will stop the garden being used as a hiding place.

HIDE
• Keep your valuables, jewellery, cash, passport and deeds to your property in a safe.
• Never leave spare keys in an open place. Be aware, burglars know all the usual hiding places so never leave a spare key under the doormat or under a garden gnome.
• Keep dustbins and wheelie-bins away from fencing/gates as these can be used by thieves to climb into windows or used to escape.
• Make sure valuables are property marked. Take photographs and keep a note of any serial numbers.
• Don’t leave equipment and tools lying around that can be used by burglars to break into your home, such as hammers, shovels or gardening tools. Keep ladders locked away and out of sight.
For more home and vehicle security advice including technological devices available (such as alarms and motion sensor video doorbells) accredited by ‘Secured by Design’ do visit https://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/crime-prevention-z

Anyone with information about thieves operating in their area should contact Suffolk police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 

The following message is sent on behalf of Kent Police -

Denver Chitiyo, 17, was last seen in the Tovil area of Kent at about 11pm on Wednesday 22 May 2019.

Denver is described as being of slim build, 5ft 7in tall and with black hair worn in dreadlocks. It is not known what he was wearing when he went missing.  It is understood he also has connections to Suffolk and Norfolk, and in particular the Norwich area.

Anyone who sees Denver or knows where he may be is urged to call Kent Police on 101 quoting reference 22-1926.

Motorists in Suffolk are being urged to keep their vehicles secure following a series of van thefts.  

The warning has been issued after 28 Mercedes Sprinter vans that use keyless entry were stolen between October 2018 and April 2019 with the majority of offences taking place in Ipswich where 23 vans have been stolen.

Vans have generally been stolen overnight from residential areas and car parks.

Keyless theft of a vehicle occurs when criminals use a transmitter to amplify the signal being emitted from the genuine key inside the owners house to reach the vehicle outside. This allows it to be unlocked and driven away in seconds. 

Commander for Southern area Supt Kerry Cutler said:  "We’ve seen a rise in the theft of vans in the Ipswich area in recent months, with Mercedes Sprinter vans being the primary target.

"I would urge anyone who owns a Sprinter van to be vigilant and take sensible measures to protect your vehicle.

"As a consequence of these thefts we are conducting a letter drop to all registered keepers of such Sprinter vans in Ipswich in the coming weeks to raise awareness of the issue amongst owners.

"Of course, the message is relevant to all vehicle owners – make sure you use as many preventative measures as possible to keep your vehicle secure.”

Officers are urging owners of such vehicles to be vigilant and take sensible precautions. In summary owners can take the following steps to reduce the risk of this theft:

·         In the house, store keys away from accessible doors and windows, inside a Faraday bag (search RFID security at www.securedbydesign.com for details of police preferred specification products) and then potentially into a metal tin.  Several anti-theft pouches are available which are designed to block signals emitted by the key.

·         It may be possible to disable the keyless entry function.  Check your owner manual or seek advice from your local dealer if required.

·         Use physical security measures such as steering wheel locks or wheel clamps to compliment your vehicles own security (www.soldsecure.com)

·         Owners could also contact their local vehicle service dealer to see if there are security upgrades that can be carried out.

·         Ensure that basic security measures, such as checking the doors and windows are secure, are always done.

·         Where possible, park vehicles within secure compounds covered by CCTV.

·         If you cannot park the vehicle in a garage, park it on a well-lit drive or well-lit area as close to your property as possible.

For more details on the above guidance you can go to the Constabulary’s A - Z of crime prevention - First Principle site and go to Keyless car and van theft

Anyone who may have information about such vehicle thefts should contact Suffolk Constabulary on 101 or report it online via the constabulary website: www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/existing-report-update 

The following message is sent on behalf of Derbyshire Police -

Derbyshire Police are attempting to trace Stephen Archer, 48, who absconded from Sudbury open prison on Wednesday 15^th May.

Archer was convicted of murder in 1993.

He is described as white, 5ft 10ins tall and of slight build. He has a shaved head, blue eyes and has a cross tattoo on the inside of his right forearm and a dagger tattoo on his left forearm.

Archer is believed to have links to Nottingham, Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Suffolk.

Members of the public are asked not to approach Archer, but to dial 999 immediately if they see him.

If you have recently seen him, or have information about where he may be, please contact us using one of the following non-emergency contact methods.

Please quote reference number 625 of May 15 in any correspondence.

Facebook – send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary

• Twitter – direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact

• Website – complete the online contact form https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/

• Phone – call us on 101. 

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.                                                                       

Please note in the event of an emergency you should always call 999.

Help us keep our communities safe.