Christmas Day ‘lucrative for burglars’

CHRISTMAS morning is a popular time for visitors to quietly pop into strangers’ houses with a big sack, but not all of them are wearing red coats, they’re unlikely to have white beards and they’re more inclined to take goodies rather than bestow them.

A new survey pinpoints the hours between 3am and 6am on Christmas morning as the most lucrative for the common burglar during the seasonal period, but if he overdoes the celebrations after a successful smash and grab, he tends to sleep it off over the new year.

According to incident reports recorded between December 24 and January 1 by security company Netwatch, the most attractive time for criminals is Christmas morning, with 30% of all yuletide incidents at private homes and businesses taking place then.