“We’re also proactively targeting and gathering intelligence on suspected offenders and patrolling hotspot areas giving out crime prevention advice to the public and urging them to report any suspicious behaviour to us. Plus we’ve got some ‘Trap’ houses set up in certain locations which we’ve kitted out with hidden cameras and gadgets with tracking devices. If you target one of these houses you could end up with more than you’ve bargained for.”

The campaign is already proving successful. Just last week a man was arrested following a burglary at a property in Weybridge on December 10. Sebastian Zoniga, 32, of no fixed address pleaded guilty to burglary at Staines Magistrates Court on 12 December and has been remanded to appear at Guildford Crown Court on 12 January 2018.

Two men were also seen by a proactive burglary unit last week acting suspiciously in Esher. After spending some time in custody, they have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Other arrests have also been made for burglary and handling offences and property has been seized across the county. As the burglary campaign continues the police say they will be arresting many more burglars and recovering property back to the rightful owners.

Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton added: “The emotional impact of a stranger entering your home is huge and can have a long-lasting effect on any victim. We are not prepared to tolerate this type of offending and over the next few months we will be using a range of tactics to not only prevent burglary happening in the first place but also to catch those responsible and lock them up. We want to make it as difficult as possible for offenders to operate in Surrey.”

“It’s important that everyone plays their part in reducing burglary and I would urge residents to think seriously about their home security. I really believe that people know what they should be doing when it comes to protecting their home but more often than not they don’t follow it through or become complacent and think it will never happen to them.”

If you only do the bare minimum please follow these tips:

• Lock doors and windows when you go out
• Leave lights on or on a timer so it looks like someone’s at home especially if you’re going to be away for Christmas
• Register your property (laptop, phones, bikes etc) with a company such as Immobilise (www.immobilise.com) – this will increase your chances of getting it back if it’s stolen. The online service is totally free and is quick and easy to use. Items marked as being registered with Immobilise are less likely to be stolen, and households displaying Immobilise stickers are less likely to be targeted by burglars
• It’s a good idea to photograph any expensive or unusual items such as jewellery and place stickers in your windows to let people know your property is marked
•  Invest in a safe if you have very expensive jewellery in the house and store jewellery in there when you’re not wearing it
• And if you own an expensive car make sure you store keys away from doors/windows and cat flaps. There have been a number of incidents where burglars are targeting properties with high-value cars on the driveways, stealing the keys and then making off in the vehicle.

These simple measures might be all it takes to make an opportunist burglar decide it’s not worth their while targeting your property.

Advice on how to keep your home safe can be obtained from your local Crime Reduction Advisor on 101 or by visiting the Surrey Police website.