A police officer has shared his experience of being the victim of burglary to help others stay safe.

The burglar who targeted Hertsmere’s Detective Inspector Graeme Walsingham was never caught, and he is telling others his story to highlight that making sure that homes are secure is the best deterrent.

Mr Walsingham was already active as a Detective Sargent when the incident happened in 2015, proving that everyone can be a target for burglars.

He said: “I was in bed and heard someone at the first floor bedroom window then the dog went mad.

“Having my black Labrador scare the burglars off when he came face to face with them at the rear French doors stopped them getting in.

“However, they still got away with a family heirloom, which was outside.

“I empathise with the victims of such a crime as well as understanding first-hand the ripple effect this type of offence has on children and friends.”

Following the incident DI Walsingham and his family were apprehensive for a while, but following a security review of the house were able to move on, and now he is determined to help victims and prevent this from happening.

If someone calls 999 while a burglary is happening all available police will attend, with some officers going to the address and others searching nearby streets, even using the tri-force police helicopter and dog units when appropriate.

When residents report a burglary after it has happened, officers take a crime report and conduct an initial investigation with statements, house-to-house enquiries and crime scene preservation and offer victim support.

Sometimes specialist officers will look for forensic evidence, and the case will be passed to the Local Crime Unit who will preserve the evidence, look to see if the crime matches any other burglaries and review CCTV information.

DI Walsingham added: “We also look at the type of burglary, for example if they specifically targeted an address for Asian gold or high value vehicles, whether it is a daytime or night-time burglary, any series or ‘hotpots’, how they got into the address (the MO modus operandi) whether it was via the front or back of the property and whether they conducted a tidy or untidy search.

“We are also supported by other departments across the Force and work closely with other Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and neighbouring forces as well as our Special Constables (volunteers with full police powers).

“Some of the work we do is overt but a lot of it is covert, including the use of analysts to look back historically to predict where the hotspots may be, to help allocate police resources.”

However the best way of tackling this type of crime is to take steps to ensure it does not happen in the first place, by locking all windows and doors, double-locking PVCu doors and making homes look lived-in.