What is a Hanoi burglary and how can you prevent it.

What is a Hanoi burglary and how can you prevent it.

Dear Resident,

Over the past month we have seen an increase in Hanoi burglaries across the N E Lincs area, so I wanted to provide you with some information and tips relating to this type of offence.

A Hanoi burglary was named after Operation Hanoi, run by West Yorkshire Police which ran in the mid 2000's, and involved the investigation of burglaries where car keys were targeted by burglars, who then stole vehicles using the keys.

High powered/value vehicles are often targeted, but that is not always the case, and we now see a variety of vehicles stolen in this way.

It is also not always the case that the burglar has broken in with the intention of locating keys, it may be that they have seen an open window, climbed through it and then seen the vehicle keys on the side, and at that point they decided to take the keys and the vehicle.

So, what can you do to reduce the risk of you becoming a victim of a Hanoi Burglary, below are 5 tips that will help you.

Ensure your property doors are locked, windows are closed and locks are on any gates to the rear of your property to prevent easy access for a burglar.

If you have a house alarm, ensure it is activated, most alarms allow zones to be set, such as the downstairs only.

Keep your vehicle keys away from windows, so they cannot be seen by a potential burglar. Keep them in a safe location that would be difficult for a burglar to locate them.

Use additional security on your vehicle such as a steering wheel lock and don't leave the keys for it near your vehicle keys.

If you are able, fit motion activated CCTV and dusk to dawn lighting around your property. Signage warning of CCTV will also act as a deterrent.

As you can see, the tips include general home security as well as vehicle security and following them will help reduce the risk that you become a victim of crime.

If your doors have euro cylinders in them, I would also recommend upgrading them to 3 diamond/star cylinders as shown below.

These cylinders will prevent burglars gaining access to your property by a method called lock snapping, which is commonly used by burglars

I hope you find this information useful, please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns.

Further crime prevention advice can be found on the Secured by Design website here.

Please feel free to share this alert with family, friends, and on social media by clicking the share button below the alert.

Regards

Jamie

Crime Reduction

Humberside Police

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Jamie Steel
(Humberside Police, Crime Reduction Officer, Community Safety Unit)

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