With the nights drawing in, police are asking residents to lock up and light up to help tackle the traditional increase in burglaries at this time of year.

About one third of residential burglaries across the capital show no signs of forced entry and Barking and Dagenham borough commander Chief Supt Sultan Taylor is urging people to take simple steps to prevent their homes from becoming a target.

Advice includes locking doors and windows, keeping valuables out of sight and using timer switches linked to lights or radios when out of the house.

As part of Operation Bumblebee, specialist manhunt teams will also be deployed to track down the most-evasive burglary suspects, while high-visibility patrols will take place in known burglary hot-spots.

Chief Supt Taylor said: “Burglary is a crime that has a huge emotional and long-lasting impact on the victim and it can be extremely difficult for them to come to terms with the fact that a burglar has been inside their home - somewhere that is supposed to be a place of safety.

“I’m urging residents to assist us by thinking about home security and making sure they’re not leaving themselves vulnerable to burglars.

“It really is as simple as locking doors and windows, using lights on timer switches in the hours of darkness and not advertising the fact that you’ve got new, expensive gadgets in your home by leaving them on view near windows or leaving packaging and boxes outside your house.”

For more information visit metbumblebee.org.