SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police are urging residents to heighten security following a brazen string of home invasions in April.
Cases have included prowlers melting screen doors and smashing windows to steal cash while occupants slept. Further, with the Golden Week holidays in full swing, police want vacationing residents to be on alert, reports Nippon News Network (May 2)
According to police, at least 64 residential break-ins were confirmed across the prefecture in April alone.
In one notable case, a 39-year-old man was arrested for breaking into a detached home in Saitama City’s Iwatsuki Ward between the late hours of April 15 and the following morning. Police allege the suspect used a tool to smash a first-floor bathroom window, creeping inside to steal cash and car keys while the residents were asleep.
The methods used by intruders are becoming increasingly destructive. On April 26, three consecutive burglaries were reported in the Mochida area of Gyoda City. In these cases, the culprits torched the mesh of rear screen doors to reach inside and unlock the kitchen entrances. In all three incidents, the residents were inside the home at the time of the theft.
To combat the surge, police are advising homeowners to implement multiple layers of security. Beyond simply locking doors and windows, authorities recommend applying security film around window catches and installing auxiliary double locks. Because intruders are easily deterred by light and noise, police also suggest scattering “security gravel” around yards and installing motion-sensor lights at front gates and back doors.
With the Golden Week holiday period having started on April 29, police are also sounding the alarm over “empty nest” burglaries targeting vacationing families. While daytime burglaries of vacant homes saw a decrease in the first quarter of this year — down to 218 cases from 329 during the same period last year — incidents traditionally spike during the extended holiday break.
“Perpetrators may come to scout houses during the daytime while residents are home,” a police spokesperson warned, urging the public to immediately call if they spot suspicious individuals or unfamiliar vehicles prowling their neighborhoods.
