Group of men reported to police for ‘trying door handle’

A GROUP of men have been reported to police for “trying the door handle” at a property in Woolston.

The incident is reported to have occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, with police appealing to residents for CCTV footage of the incident.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: “We would like to make Woolston residents aware of a report of a group of men trying the door handle of a house on Crookham Road.

“It has been reported that at approximately 1am on Wednesday, a man tried the handle of the front door, before walking away with two other men when the door didn’t open.

“We are asking local residents with CCTV or Ring Doorbell footage from Crookham Road and the surrounding areas to check their cameras from the evening in question and report any suspicious activity to police.

“We appreciate that you cannot see the man’s face, but if anyone recognises him from his clothing or build, please contact us.

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“We would like to speak to him in connection with this incident as we believe he may have information to assist our enquiries.

“In the meantime, we would like to remind you of some advice to help keep your home and property safe and secure – firstly, it may sound like stating the obvious, but keep your windows and doors locked whenever the property is empty and overnight.

“A house that appears occupied is less likely to be targeted by burglars. Installing light switch timers inside your house and dusk to dawn sensor lighting at the front and rear of your home can help to deter potential thieves.”

They added: “Add as many layers of security as possible to make accessing your home more difficult. This could include installing CCTV or video doorbells, which can act as a deterrent and be used for evidential purposes in the event of a crime.

“Keep high value, easily portable equipment out of view and don’t forget to register valuable items via websites such as immobilise.com.

“If you have any information relating to this incident call 101 quoting reference 44230310347.”