Residents in Nottingham could be in for a surprise if ‘Burglar Bill’ comes to call.

‘Burglar Bill’ is out looking for properties which may be easy to break into, and property which can be easily stolen. He's already been out in Hyson Green, testing household defences, and giving advice about keeping your property safe.

'Bill’ is actually an Officer from the Nottinghamshire Police whose dressed in a traditional burglar’s outfit and swag bag, he patrols with Officers from Community Protection trying door locks and windows and looking for other vulnerabilities and insecurities that thieves may target.

And if he finds an insecure property, his trusty assistants are on hand to give anti-theft security advice and offer free referrals for SmartWater property marking technology, ComputraceOne the laptop protection software and Immobilise, which links property to a national database which can then be easily tracked if stolen.

The serious message behind ‘Bill’ is that around 30% of all burglaries occur because of property security vulnerabilities, and properties with poor security are 15 times more likely to be burgled than those without security such as deadlocks, burglar alarms and SmartWater.

Burglar Bill is just one crime prevention initiative which is being rolled out by the Police and CDP over the next three month, as part of the seasonal anti-crime campaign.

Sgt Craig Barry from the Radford Road Safer Neighbourhood Team, who is behind the Burglar Bill campaign said:

"Burglary is a crime we can all do something to help stop. Most happen as a result of an open door or window left unlocked and some very easy steps will help ensure that residents don’t become a victim.

Burglar Bill is a light hearted way to get across the message that most burglars are opportunists and look for easy things to steal which can be sold on quickly."

Don’t make your home an easy target for burglars, here are some easy tips to keeping your property secure:

• Check all doors and windows are locked, even if you’re just popping out for a short trip.
• Fit a visible burglar alarm, and make sure it’s on when you leave the house.
• Keep spare/car keys out of easy sight of the post box – some thieves will break into homes looking to steal vehicles.
• Don’t leave cash/computers, or anything small and valuable, which is easy to steal in plain sight.
• Burglars love the dark. Install outside security lighting to scare them off.
• Remove the temptation - do not leave items of value in view. The property that is most sought after by criminals are what they can get a quick cash return for:
• Laptop computers
• Flat screen televisions
• Games consoles and games
• Handbags, purse/wallets and cash
• Jewellery
• Car keys