Police have warned of a technique burglars are using to see whether people are away over the half-term holidays.
The Bickley and Sundridge area in London has had several burglaries in recent weeks, the Metropolitan Police said.
The force warned burglars are spreading dirt or leaving items on residents’ doorsteps to figure out whether they are home.
A spokesperson added: “We have been informed that the suspect has been moving/leaving items or putting dirt on the doorstep to see if it is cleaned by occupants, to check if you are home or on holiday.”
Earlier this month, the area’s Neighbourhood Watch issued a warning after a man allegedly broke into several homes in broad daylight.
Bickley Community Watch said in a post on Facebook: “On one occasion he [was seen] on CCTV getting off a 261 bus and walking straight into a property side alley and smashed in through the rear patio doors.
“He then also attempted the next-door neighbour. This has happened at Bromley Common and Sundridge Park.”
The latest figures show England and Wales's police forces received 238,893 crime reports about burglary in 2024.
The most dangerous areas across the country are Hackney in London, Middlesbrough and Leeds, with crime rates of 9.57, 9.33, and 8.86 per 1,000 population respectively.
The safest area in England and Wales for burglary is the City of London, which had a crime rate of 0.97 in 2024.
A Channel 4 Dispatches investigation last year found the Metropolitan Police had not identified a single suspect in investigations into neighbourhood crimes such as phone and bike thefts, burglaries and vehicle crime in more than 160 areas in the three years prior.
The investigation into unsolved crimes in Britain revealed Britain’s biggest force is failing to tackle a range of offences, while brazen criminals say they do not fear the police.
The programme found 167 areas across England and Wales where the police had not identified a single suspect for neighbourhood crimes between 2021 and 2023. All but one of them were in the Met’s area in London.
A Home Office spokesperson said at the time: “As part of our mission to take back our streets we will restore neighbourhood policing in local communities by delivering 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers.
“The Home Office will take a more active role to improve standards in policing so that charge rates increase, more crimes are solved and justice is delivered for victims rebuilding confidence and trust in policing.”
