Sharp rise in house burglaries across Sheffield
Police are increasing patrols after a rise in the number of house burglaries in Sheffield.
The worst affected areas include Frenchville, Handsworth, Woodthorpe, Gleadless and Darnall.
David Hartley, from South Yorkshire Police, said in some areas the number of burglaries had tripled and an extra 40 officers had been brought in.
Mr Hartley said: "We have a huge drive to bring this under control." He urged residents to properly secure homes.
Figures for 1 April 2012 to 20 January 2013 show burglaries at homes have risen 8.4% from 3,012 to 3,266 compared to the same period in 2011/2012.
Police said the worst of the offending had started in early December.
Mr Hartley, the force's district commander, said: "We have been experiencing up to triple the amount of burglaries per day that we would expect to see.
"We have seen the breadth of offending right across Sheffield and we have a steep hill to climb in terms of getting these people behind bars."
The officer said many properties targeted had UPVC doors with cylinder locks.
"There's very little sophisticated around these offences," he said.
"Sometimes it's brute force smashing to get into the premises.
"Simple things around security, making it appear that people are in can actively prevent these offences from taking place."