In the past month the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office has responded to between 30 to 40 calls of car and house break ins and metal thefts.

Fifteen occurred over the weekend and nine were reported this morning, Major Bruce Temple said. He said he believes the crimes are being committed by the same people.

Most of the crimes have been reported in the Highway 158 area of Roanoke Rapids and Littleton, Zoo Road, Bolling Road, Thelma Road and the Roper Springs Road area. “In most car break in cases the vehicles were left unsecured in a driveway between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m.,” Temple said.

He said it is important to remember not to get complacent and exercise caution, even when the stolen items are replaced. “The bad guys remember where they got it from. They remember the lucrative spots.”

Besides investigating these crimes, the sheriff’s office is offering tips to avoid having items stolen and has a patrol request program when people are out of town for extended periods.

“You tell us what lights you will have on, people who may stop by, the status of the alarm system,” Temple said. “We will do checks. We’ve had this service for years.” 

Other tips include:

• Please keep items such as firearms, cameras, cell phones, GPS devices and money out of vehicles. Thieves even took a child car seat.

• Communicate with trustworthy neighbors and coordinate efforts to observe suspicious activity day and night.

• Have family members ride by during times that you aren't home.

• Make sure alarms and camera systems are set and not forgotten.

• Use available lighting around the perimeter of the house, driveway or garage.

• If you observe a neighbor’s motion sensor light, make an effort to look for suspicious activity.

• Don't ignore indicators of dogs or strange noises.

• Attempt to secure property inside or outside of buildings with chains or locks.

• Remember to lock doors and windows.

For more information contact the sheriff’s office at 252-583-8201.