Shocking CCTV footage captures the moment three hooded men try to break into a Swinton home in the middle of the night while the owners are asleep upstairs.
The two minute long video, which has already had over 27,000 views, was taken at around 3.30am on Monday morning.
It shows the would-be thieves sneaking around the rear alleyway of the house near Swinton golf club, covering their faces as they break the locks on the side gate.
Once through the gate, they can be seen making their way towards the back of the property.
Two of the men then try opening the downstairs windows and doors.
However their attempts to break in prove unsuccessful when CCTV alarms sound and the three scarper.
No one was harmed in the incident.
The shocked homeowner who shared the footage on Facebook and wishes to remain anonymous told SalfordOnline.com: “Since sharing the video it’s apparent that this type of activity has been quite frequent.
“I’ve had people messaging me on Facebook with stories of how their cars were stolen and even one with a CCTV picture of 3 individuals looking like the ones in my video who had attempted to gain entry to another property.
“Local neighbours have been very supportive after I informed them all of the occurrence and advised them to check their security systems.”
This latest attempted burglary in Salford serves as a reminder to residents that as it is getting darker earlier, homeowners should remain vigilant and ensure windows, doors and gates are kept locked at all times.
It also highlights how valuable CCTV can be, after recent reports have suggested police lack the resources needed to attend every burglary.
In July Chief Constable Sara Thornton, head of the new National Police Chiefs’ Council, said that police may not attend every burglary that is reported.
Speaking to the BBC she said: “There are a lot less burglaries than there used to be, a lot less car crime, but the sorts of crimes that are on the increase – sexual offences, concerns about terrorism, cyber crime – that’s where we really need to focus.
“We need to move from reacting to some of those traditional crimes to thinking about focusing on threat and harm and risk and really protecting the public.
“If we’re really serious about putting a lot of effort and resource into protecting children, for example, that might mean that if you’ve had a burglary, for example, and the burglar has fled, we won’t get there as quickly as we have in the past.”
Main image: Reader supplied video – Facebook
