A senior police officer has warned residents in Bushey to be vigilant after a rise in burglaries in the town in recent weeks.

Seven properties have been broken into during the last week of January and first week of February. Police said although the recent spree represents a sudden increase in burglaries across Bushey, the number since the beginning of 2013 had been lower than in the same time last year.

Hertsmere’s Chief Inspector, Dean Patient, said the recent numbers are a concern and they need the public’s help.

Chief Inspector Patient said: “I want people to be vigilant and aware.”

He added there had been a number of arrests in connection with these latest burglaries.

This year’s crime statistics are level with last year’s, which showed a 33 per cent reduction in burglaries compared to the year before.

Chief Inspector Patient said: “We are now back to neutral as before these most recent break-ins, we were on a reduction.”

The most recent incidences are not typically taking place at night, which are commonly known as “creeper burglaries”.

Instead, they are more likely to take place in the late afternoons and early evenings, predominantly by accessing people’s gardens and conservatories.

Chief Inspector Patient said he did not want the public to panic but rather to be properly informed. He added that stopping the burglaries was being treated by police as top priority.

“We won’t allow crime spikes to continue before we respond and we plan to respond very quickly,” he added.