HUNDREDS of residents have called for more action to be taken by the police following a spate of burglaries - leaving some locals afraid to leave their own homes.
Over the past few weeks, numerous groups of thugs have been targeting properties in the Monk Bretton area, stealing cars and motorbikes.
It’s resulted in a group chat being set up by those affected in the area and so far more than 600 people have got involved in a bid to put a stop to the end of the issues.
One of those affected is 39-year-old James Powers whose car was stolen - and subsequently wrecked - just days before Christmas.
He told the Chronicle: “It’s literally like Beirut in Monk Bretton right now, it really is.
“There’s constant burglaries all over.
“The police are aware and in our case we were burgled on Sunday, December 21.
“We went out at 6.30pm and we realised because they tried to pull a CCTV camera down which triggered an alarm to my phone.
“I’ve got them on camera doing it because they failed miserably to disconnect the cameras.
“They broke in and stole my car keys and then totalled it 67 seconds later.
“The attacks are definitely targeted.
“They’re going for vehicles.
“When they broke in I had an iPad, iPhones on the side as well as cash, but all they wanted to take was the car keys.”
James says it’s a wide-spread issue that has been affecting numerous residents across Monk Bretton.
He added: “We’re on Blundell Court but we’ve had issued on Byron Drive, High Street - it’s all over Monk Bretton.
“It’s just a constant issue.”
James said the police are involved but more needs to be done to support everyone affected - before it’s too late.
“I’m concerned for my parents because my dad’s pacemaker dependent and my mother has memory issues.
“The police arrest them and then bail them but it just happens again.
“The police need to do more.
“It’s every minute of the day that they’re out and about.
“Something needs to be done for everybody’s safety because - and I hate to say it - it’s going to get to the point where somebody just snaps.”
A meeting has been set up at the Methodist Church on January 14 - and James is expecting it’ll be a full house.
“It’s going to be at the monthly PACT meeting,” he said.
“I expect that it’ll be very, very full.”
Barnsley’s Neighbourhoods Inspector Tony Lee told the Chronicle the force are working to ensure residents feel safe.
He added: “Being a victim of burglary can be very distressing.
“Knowing someone has entered your home and gone through your personal possessions can have a lasting impact.
“This is not right, especially around the festive period when everyone is looking to enjoy their time with friends and family.
“Unfortunately, we have seen a recent increase in residential burglaries in and around the Monk Bretton area which we have been working hard to tackle and reduce.
“It’s not uncommon for burglaries to increase at this time of year, as criminals will be looking for easy opportunities, taking advantage of Christmas presents being in people’s homes.
“We have recognised this recent increase and have launched our dedicated operation to combat burglaries, not just in Monk Bretton but across the whole of Barnsley.
“Resources have been pulled from different specialist teams across the district, with officers conducting both plain clothed and highly visible patrols in hotspot areas at key times of the day and night.
“We know offenders like to target one location multiple times, so our officers have been visiting properties either side of victims’ houses, offering crime prevention advice and to answer any questions that they may have.
“We have also been targeting vehicles which are known to be used by prolific offenders who use the road network to move between areas.
“We have recently arrested multiple suspected prolific offenders and burglary rates have reduced towards the end of December in the Monk Bretton area.
“We will continue our work to reduce rates even more and would urge anyone who has been a victim of burglary to please report it to us so we can investigate and bring more perpetrators to justice.”
