More thefts in Brent during festival season

ROBBERIES and burglaries go up during the Diwali, Halloween and firework celebrations so Brent Police is urging people to be more vigilant.
Last year's figures indicate that the borough experienced an increase in robberies and burglaries in October and November. Therefore, as a precaution, extra police activity has been planned this year under the codename Operation Brevis.
The operation started on Saturday (Oct 10) and is set to run until the end of November.
Chief Inspector Mike Hill, from Brent Police, is leading the operation. He said: "Brent is currently experiencing an increase of both personal robbery and residential burglary in a year on year comparison with last year.
"Together with our partners, we are deploying many extra tactics over the festival period as analysis has shown that these offences increase further during the Diwali, Halloween and Fireworks celebrations. This coincides with the clocks going back on October 25 increasing the hours of darkness, which provides criminals with more opportunities.
"Police do not want to stop individuals taking part in the celebrations and enjoying themselves. Our aim is to provide a presence to protect and reassure the law-abiding majority, and to deter the small number of individuals who use the opportunity to commit crimes."
For information on the Metropolitan Police Service crime prevention advice go to www.met.police.uk