Peterborough teenager given night-time curfew after trying to burgle city homes

A teenage boy has been given a night-time curfew after admitting attempting to burgle homes in Peterborough.

In the early hours of 9 December, police received an emergency call to a suspected attempted burglaries in progress after a member of the public spotted a person trying house and car door handles in the Hempstead area.

Within ten minutes of receiving the 999 call, response officers located and arrested the suspect – a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons – in Tilman Drive.

Officers immediately carried out enquiries to review video footage, when footage obtained from a house in Everest Way showed the boy attempting to open a car door, followed by him trying to open the front door of the house.

While police were in the area, a man approached them to report seeing the boy trying the front doors of both his and his neighbour’s homes in Lander Crescent.

The following morning, further enquiries identified another offence in Everest Way where the boy was caught on camera trying the front door handle of a house and another car.

The boy, who is from Peterborough, appeared at Huntingdon Youth Court on Wednesday (13 December) where he admitted four counts of attempted burglary with intent to steal and two counts of interfering with a motor vehicle.

He was sentenced to a 12-month youth rehabilitation order consisting of him having a curfew between 9pm and 7am for the next three months and must participate in reparation for ten days.

Detective Sergeant Justin Parr said: “Thankfully all doors that the boy tried were locked but this just goes to show the length opportunistic thieves will go to, chancing their luck in the hope they will come across a property or vehicle that has been left unlocked.

“Especially around this time of year where many of us may have gifts and additional items in our homes, I would urge people to make sure their doors are locked, and any items of value not left on display.”