When my family is away, as it was last week, I often sleep on the sofa downstairs. This is largely by accident but also partly by design because, in my solitude, I feel more secure at night down there, in closer proximity to my street level windows and front door. This is babyish and paranoid, but has maybe served a useful purpose too.
I was on the sofa when I woke on Saturday morning at a quarter to five. It's not unusual for me to rise that early, especially in the summer when the sun does the same thing, but I was nonetheless surprised having not closed my eyes till after midnight. Then a possible cause become apparent: a quiet but firm knocking sound from the front of the house. I listened, and there it was again. This time, it seemed to come from next door.
I speculated drowsily that someone had come in late, realised they'd forgotten their key and was trying to wake another inhabitant of the house. Then the knocking became louder. I started to feel annoyed. It became louder still. Then I heard a metallic clang: the sound of something heavy made of iron hitting the stone floor of my neighbour's porch. A low male voice said something unintelligible but urgent.
I got up. I found my keys and walked crossly down the hall. By now it had occurred to me that the sounds might not be being made by an resident of the house next door, but I'd been galvanized by irritation. I released the chain on my front door, unlocked the mortis, turned the latch and looked out. My neighbour's porch was empty and so, as far as I could see, was the street. My neighbour's door, though, was part open. Only the security chain held it mostly closed. And there were what looked like the marks of a chisel in its frame. Between us, my neighbour's chain and the noise of a grumpy me unsliding mine had foiled a burglary.
Later that morning a police officer arrived, while I was in the bath. She was extremely understanding and sat outside while I got dressed before writing down my account of what had occurred. She told me there'd been a spate of burglaries in nearby streets of late, including a couple in Newick Road. The following day I was visited by PCSO Yaye Sall-White of the Leabridge Safer Neighbourhoods Team to confirm that burglars had been active round my way and to inform me that the SNS would be stepping up local patrols.
This development should not, perhaps, come as a great surprise. At last week's full meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson reported a continuing fall in reported burglaries but expressed pessimism about this downward trend continuing. Just as business crime and hate crime tends to rise during recessions - as they already have in London - opportunist crimes like burglary often do too.
The number for the Leabridge SNT is 020 8721 2836 and the email address is Leabridge.SNT@met.police.uk I was advised by PSCO Sall-White to carefully lock my doors and windows at bedtime and to be vigilant. She didn't say anything about sleeping on the sofa downstairs, and I don't exactly recommend it. I am, though, glad I did it on Friday night.
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