Ocean City police urge public vigilance to thwart burglaries
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer, 609-463-6712
Published: Tuesday, December 02, 2008
OCEAN CITY - City police are asking the public to keep an eye on their neighborhoods to deter would-be burglars.
The island sees several burglaries this time of year when many shore homes are vacant. With the economy in dire straits, the city could see more crimes of opportunity this winter, police Lt. Steven Ang said.
"I think we'll have a lot of people who are unemployed, struggling to make ends meet. They're going to resort to desperate measures," he said. "All indicators are there for this to be a year where we'll have more burglaries, thefts and street-type crime."
Ocean City reported more burglaries last year than any other town in Cape May County. The resort reported 183 burglaries in 2007, including thefts from homes, sheds and cars, according to the Uniform Crime Statistics compiled by the New Jersey State Police.
Wildwood and Middle Township followed with 180 and 163 respectively.
Ang said neighbors have foiled recent burglary attempts simply by calling police when they suspected something was amiss.
In one case, police were alerted when neighbors spotted two men trying to enter a locked construction trailer on the south end. Police caught the two Cumberland County men after they broke a lock with a pair of bolt cutters.
"We probably wouldn't have been able to locate them had we not apprehended them that night," Ang said. "They didn't have any ties to Ocean City."
Police routinely conduct property checks and patrol the beachfront in the south end, where many homes are vacant. They make sure doors are secure and leave their business cards behind noting the date they checked the house, Ang said.
But neighbors are far more likely to notice something unusual in their own neighborhoods, he said.
"If you can stop something from happening at your neighbor's house, it might prevent something from happening to your house down the road," he said.
Ang said neighbors are encouraged to call police anytime at 609-399-9111.
E-mail Michael Miller:
MMiller@pressofac.com
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer, 609-463-6712
Published: Tuesday, December 02, 2008
OCEAN CITY - City police are asking the public to keep an eye on their neighborhoods to deter would-be burglars.
The island sees several burglaries this time of year when many shore homes are vacant. With the economy in dire straits, the city could see more crimes of opportunity this winter, police Lt. Steven Ang said.
"I think we'll have a lot of people who are unemployed, struggling to make ends meet. They're going to resort to desperate measures," he said. "All indicators are there for this to be a year where we'll have more burglaries, thefts and street-type crime."
Ocean City reported more burglaries last year than any other town in Cape May County. The resort reported 183 burglaries in 2007, including thefts from homes, sheds and cars, according to the Uniform Crime Statistics compiled by the New Jersey State Police.
Wildwood and Middle Township followed with 180 and 163 respectively.
Ang said neighbors have foiled recent burglary attempts simply by calling police when they suspected something was amiss.
In one case, police were alerted when neighbors spotted two men trying to enter a locked construction trailer on the south end. Police caught the two Cumberland County men after they broke a lock with a pair of bolt cutters.
"We probably wouldn't have been able to locate them had we not apprehended them that night," Ang said. "They didn't have any ties to Ocean City."
Police routinely conduct property checks and patrol the beachfront in the south end, where many homes are vacant. They make sure doors are secure and leave their business cards behind noting the date they checked the house, Ang said.
But neighbors are far more likely to notice something unusual in their own neighborhoods, he said.
"If you can stop something from happening at your neighbor's house, it might prevent something from happening to your house down the road," he said.
Ang said neighbors are encouraged to call police anytime at 609-399-9111.
E-mail Michael Miller:
MMiller@pressofac.com
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