Dad came home to find place ransacked
8:50am Wednesday 13th March 2013 in News By Scott D'Arcy
Graham Burgess at his home in Sandringham Road, Swindon
A FATHER-OF-TWO returned home to find his home ransacked by thieves who had made off with a safe containing wills, birth certificates and passports.
Graham Burgess had been at work last Wednesday before arriving home at 7pm to find his belongings strewn across the floor.
As he entered the kitchen he found the conservatory door smashed, every cupboard open and the safe holding all the family’s life documents and photos gone, while upstairs the bedrooms had also been turned over and the drawers rifled through.
It is among a series of recent burglaries police have been investigating across the town, whereby thieves break into homes during the day and steal jewellery and electrical items.
Graham, who works for a facilities management company, said his children, aged 12 and 15, were now scared to stay in the family’s Sandringham Road home on their own.
He said: “I came in through the front door and saw my jacket on the kitchen floor, which was strange as it was on the bannister before I left. Then I went into the kitchen and realised what had happened.
“It’s terrible – we feel violated and I already sleep with a baseball bat in the bedroom after we were burgled 20 years ago. The kids are young enough to be affected by it as they can be in the house on their own, which they now don’t feel safe to do.
“The most significant thing taken was my beige coloured locked fire safe which had a small amount of Euros and some items of gold jewellery – whilst this is somewhat sentimental, it is also replaceable.
“What is really important to me is my entire personal documentation that was in the safe, much of which is irreplaceable, along with a number of CDs and a blue hard drive with back-ups of all of my work and family pictures since my first child was born in 1998.
“I would like to appeal to anyone that either has, or knows of the whereabouts or comes across the safe or its contents to do the right thing and contact Wiltshire Police so that it can be returned.
“I am willing to offer a cash reward for information that helps me get it back.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “Wiltshire Police is aware of this incident and investigations are well under way.
“We have already conducted house to house inquiries in the area and the local neighbourhood policing team has increased patrols in the area.”
Anyone with any information should contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Officers are reminding people to stop thieves by keeping doors and windows locked when they are not at home and keeping an eye on neighbours’ properties.
