AUGUST is burglary month in Cyprus, and police yesterday issued advice to help avoid becoming a victim of casual theft during the traditional holiday period.
Although Cyprus still boasts low rates of burglary and theft, police warn that such crimes always increase when people are away on their summer holidays.
Empty homes and relaxed holidaymakers make for rich pickings for thieves trying to stock up on other people’s property.
Prevention is the key, police say. “Most burglaries and thefts are perpetrated when opportunities are given to criminals,” for example.
The police advice — given out every year — might sound like common sense to most, but many people surprisingly ignore it.
For example, police advise never to leave valuables unattended in a public place. Cars should not be left unlocked, nor should windows or doors be left open when no one is at home.
“When absent from your home do not leave indications which advertise your absence,” police also advise.
Keys should not be left in doors, not even on the inside if there is a window nearby which could be smashed to allow a burglar to open the door.
Residents are being encouraged to co-operate with police by tipping them off if they suspect burglars might be ‘casing’ the property of someone who is away.
“Let police know if someone you don’t know rings your doorbell and then says they are looking for someone you’ve never heard of,” police advise. This is a favourite tactic for burglars eager to find out if a property is empty.
“The success of the police is down to help from the public, and we ask them to continue supporting us by providing information about people acting suspiciously,” Andreas Christodoulou of Nicosia CID said yesterday.
Sixty cases of burglary have been reported in the capital so far this year. Thirty of these have taken place in the past 40 days alone.
Four Georgians are in custody after being arrested when a member of the public told the police of suspicious activity in the Pallouriotissa area.
The four are suspected of being in a gang thought to have stolen up to £52,000 worth of property, £30,000 of which has so far been recovered.
Police said three of the suspects are in the country illegally. The fourth holds a Greek passport.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
