Police: Holiday break burglaries preventable

City and university police are asking people to protect their valuables as the University of Missouri’s holiday break approaches.

“A lot of people are out of town and it’s just a good idea to take special precautions,” said Sara Diedrich with the University of Missouri Police Department.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime records, 100 burglaries were reported in Columbia in December 2017 and January 2018. Burglary takes on a higher profile during the holidays, when MU students are out of town and families are going on holiday vacations. That break starts next Friday, and classes resume Jan. 22.

Columbia police encourage people to lock doors and use light timers to protect their homes.

“If you leave it is always a good idea to have a light or two come on or turn off at random times to make someone think that someone is home,” Columbia Police Department spokesman Jeff Pitts said

CPD has historically tracked burglaries each year during the holiday break between MU’s fall and spring semesters. CPD responded to 35 burglary calls over the 2016-2017 period, down from 63 the year before and 105 during the 2014-2015 counting period. Numbers were not available for 2017-2018.

University police on Twitter urged students to lock doors and windows, hide valuables out of sight and store bikes indoors.

Winter Break tip #4: No matter the floor you live on, @Mizzou students, lock all windows and doors and remind roommates/other family members to do the same before leaving town. https://t.co/JugCFNVIBg pic.twitter.com/6tCEBIuUeV

— MU Police (@MUPDpolice) December 7, 2018

“If you have valuables, if you can take them with you,” Diedrich said. “If you can’t, we recommend that you get them out of sight.”