A series of break-ins in the southeast have prompted police to put out a warning to Calgarians to secure their homes and vehicles.

Police say an unknown number of suspects entered three New Brighton homes and tried to enter a fourth between 12:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Monday, while the residents were asleep inside.

The thieves made off with a number of small items including, wallets, purses and electronics.

The suspects gained access to two of the homes through unlocked windows after cutting through the screens.

A window was pried open in the third incident and locked windows prevented the offenders from entering a fourth home.

District 8 officers are investigating about 156 house and garage break-ins in the south Calgary area since June of this year and officials say this is nearly double the number compared to the same period last year.

Investigators say break and enters in the area tend to be higher at night and in the early morning hours and that in many cases thieves gain easy entry to homes, garages and vehicles through unlocked doors or windows.

Here are a few tips from police to protect your property and vehicles:

  • Always locking vehicle, garage and house doors, even if you are nearby or only leaving for a short period of time. It may help to establish a routine where you check all doors and windows before leaving your home or going to bed
  • Not leaving vehicles unattended with the keys inside, and making sure spare keys are kept in a secure location not in or around your vehicle
  • Hiding or removing valuables, including garage door openers, from your vehicle so that they are not visible to people walking by
  • Securing your vehicle if you need to leave it running by either locking the doors or using a steering wheel lock so it cannot be driven easily
  • Reporting any suspicious activity to police immediately by calling 403-266-1234, or 9-1-1 if there is a crime in progress.

Anyone with information about who may be responsible for any of these offences is asked to contact the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637