Police issued a warning after an intruder with a knife asked for a man's iCloud login in Liverpool.
This was one of two reported break-ins involving knives in the Greenbank area of the city in a matter of days, according to Merseyside Police.
A man carrying a knife reportedly entered a house on Greenbank Road at 6.20am on Saturday, March 5, where he asked for the male occupant's iCloud login, leaving when this was refused.
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The people living in the house later discovered a laptop and car keys were missing, and reported them as stolen.
A second incident on Tuesday, March 8, involved a man with a knife reportedly entering a property on Brompton Avenue, off Arundel Avenue, where he demanded an iPad from the people inside.
The suspect was gone by the time police patrols attended.
He reportedly stole a MacBook, an Apple watch and a Nintendo Switch after entering several rooms in the Brompton Avenue property.
No injuries were reported following either incident.
Merseyside Police said "the suspect was described as male, around 40 years of age, of small build" and he reportedly "spoke with a foreign accent".
The force is conducting CCTV witness and forensic enquiries into both incidents. It said high visibility patrols were stepped up in the area.
Police offered some simple tips for keeping your home safe:
• Keep valuables out of sight
• Remember to lock all your doors and windows, even if you are at home
• Fit outside security lighting
• Report any suspicious people or vehicles in your neighbourhood. Many crimes are prevented and people arrested after members of the public report unusual or suspicious activity to the police
• People who have UPVC doors are reminded to fully secure them. If you simply lift the handle you will NOT fully engage all of the locks into the frame. You MUST also double lock the door using the key
• Remember to remove keys from doors once they are locked
• Don't advertise new items you may have bought such as electrical equipment to people by leaving the empty boxes outside your home
• Try to dispose of the packaging carefully by taking it to a recycling centre or keep it out of sight until the day your rubbish is collected
• During the dark nights, use a light timing device to switch the lights on
• Don't leave your car keys on display (on window ledges/worktops) and don't leave them by doors or windows where they could be grabbed with a hook or cane
• Always check your front and back door are secure even if you are in, burglaries can often occur via insecure back doors whilst residents are at home
• Secure your shed and garage properly. Don't leave tools lying around these could be used to help offender gain entry to your home
• Register your electronics’ serial numbers on www.immobilise.com
• Back up your photographs and saved work from electronics on cloud storage or safely stored hard drives/USBs.
Detective Inspector Ben Dyer said: "Nobody has the right to violate the security and safety people should feel in their own home and I want to reassure the community that we are committed to finding the person responsible for committing these awful crimes and bringing him to justice.
"If you were in the Greenbank or Sefton Park areas in the early hours of [Tuesday] morning or the early hours of Saturday morning and witnessed anything or anyone suspicious then please come forward. Information you hold could be vital to our enquiries.
"Following these two incidents, we have stepped up patrols in the area to provide reassurance to the local community and offer crime prevention advice.
"If you see our officers out and about and have any information the please let them know.
"I would also like to take the opportunity to remind residents that there are a number of simple measures that will make life as difficult as possible for potential burglars.
"Opportunist burglars are likely to try dozens of handles on doors and windows in a street hoping to find at least one that opens easily – make sure yours isn't one.
"Remember to make sure you lock the door when you go out and also to both push the handle up as well as turn the key as you lock the door, if your door has that function.
"Don't advertise your things to criminals – keep laptops and other valuables out of sight and remember to register your electronics and back up any work saved on them.
"It is very important that people are extra-vigilant and ensure they take home security seriously, and the following tips will help you protect your home and property.
"Operation Castle is our ongoing response to burglary across Merseyside and was set up to put anyone suspected of being involved in burglary in our communities before the courts.
"Since this began, offenders have been sentenced to more than 500 years in prison, and we have seen burglary offences decrease year on year.
"It's thanks to information provided by those communities affected that we can record such results so please, tell us what you know and we will do the rest."
Anyone with information on incidents in Greenbank, or any other related information can contact Merseyside Police by DM via our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 22000157877 (Greenbank Road) or 22000162651 (Brompton Avenue).
You can also contact the independent charity Crime stoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
Further advice on how to keep your valuable safe and secure; marking your property to deter burglars, and a checklist when leaving the home can be found here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/.
