Extra police patrols and advice have been allocated to the district to help reduce the recent mass number of burglaries in the area.

There were 32 burglaries and attempted burglaries in St Albans, Harpenden and London Colney between Monday, October 28 and Wednesday, November 13.

The majority of these offences occurred in St Albans with burglaries in Marshalswick, Fleetville, St Stephen, How Wood and Park Street.

Most offences tend to be in the evenings with jewellery continuing to be the main target.

Between 7.30pm and 8.15pm on Monday, November 4, officers received a report of jewellery and cash stolen from an address in the Mall in Park Street. (Crime Ref: 41/100178/19).

“We expect to see an increase in burglaries at this time of year with the darker evenings - but the current high numbers seem even worse because we had seen comparatively few offences up until the past fortnight,” said St Albans Detective Inspector Alexandra Warwick. “We have been proactively targeting people who are known to us for burglaries and are working closely with other districts and forces to trace the people responsible.”

She said: “Obviously we cannot be on every street 24 hours a days but we can help residents reduce the chances of being burgled.

“Most burglars are opportunist so will look for an easy way in and want to be out as quickly as possible.

“Make your home unattractive to a thief by giving your home a ‘lived-in’ look, invest in timer switches, doorbell cameras and CCTV and make sure you lock windows and doors, especially at night.

“Please call 999 if you suspect a burglary may be in progress – this gives us the best chance of catching someone in the act and stopping other people being burgled.

“If you see any vehicles acting suspiciously, try and note down the registration numbers if you can and call us straight away on 999.

Watch out for your neighbours’ properties, particularly if you know they are away.”