Furious councillor slams police for not telling the local community about a “mini-crimewave” in a Harborough district village

A furious councillor has slammed police for not telling councillors and the local community about a “mini-crimewave” of five burglaries in six days in a Harborough district village.

Cllr Kevin Feltham hit out as officers hunt burglars who broke into five homes in Great Glen between Tuesday November 2 and Monday November 8.

Police suspect that the same criminals carried out the “unprecedented” string of break-ins in the village.

Officers investigating the catalogue of crimes haven’t made any arrests yet.

After being told about the spate of burglaries by the Harborough Mail, Cllr Feltham said today: “This is simply astonishing.

“I’ve represented Great Glen as a county councillor for the last 20 years.

“And this is totally unprecedented in my experience.

“I’ve never come across a mini-crimewave like this before anywhere in Harborough, never mind Great Glen,” said the veteran Conservative councillor.

“I can’t believe that five homes and five devastated families have been targeted inside just a six-day blitz in a village as small as Great Glen.

“Surely it’s got to be the same offenders carrying out these burglaries.

“But it also beggars belief that our local police haven’t bothered to tell us about this shocking crime spree.

“The police should obviously have told me, the parish council, the local Harborough district councillors and the media,” said Cllr Feltham, of nearby Kibworth Beauchamp.

“And we could have immediately started to tell the local community, the people on the ground in Great Glen, that these burglars were on the loose.

“We’d have urged people through social media and other channels to urgently step up their own security.

“People have got to make sure they lock all their doors and windows, their cars, their sheds, garages and outbuildings.

“But how could we tell them to do that and spread the word if we didn’t know?

“Five burglaries in six days in a little place like Great Glen counts as a major crime spree in my book.

“I don’t care what anyone else says.

“I’ve told our police before and I’ll tell them again – they’ve got to improve their day-to-day communications with us,” said Cllr Feltham.

“We no longer have a dedicated bobby on the beat in every village in Harborough keeping us bang up to date as we did years ago.

“So we are relying on our senior officers based in Market Harborough to keep us informed.

“The police have been cut back over the years and they’ve got a tough job to do – I realise that.

“But they have to do much better communicating with councillors like me so that we can inform the local people we represent – and we can all work alongside each other.

“This whole situation is very regrettable.

“And it’s also very worrying that the police haven’t arrested the villains responsible for these break-ins yet.

“Families in Great Glen must be living in fear.

“I’d appeal to anyone who sees anybody acting suspiciously in the village to alert the police immediately,” insisted Cllr Feltham.

Cllr Phil King, who leads Harborough District Council, told the Mail: “Good policing requires good communications.

“The police in this country can only police well with the consent and co-operation of the public.

“They have got to work together hand in hand.

“It would certainly be helpful if the police clarified the situation regarding these recent burglaries in Great Glen with the people there.

“People have every right to be told if there are criminals active in their village,” said Cllr King.

“The police are here to prevent and deter crime as well as solve it.

“And one way they can help to prevent crime is by calling on people to be more alert and vigilant.”

Leicestershire Police told the Mail that “extra proactive patrols” are being carried out in Great Glen following the six-day burst of break-ins.

“Enquiries into the incidents are continuing and no arrests have been made at this time.

“All incidents occurred at residential properties and are being treated as linked,” said a police spokesman.

He said he didn’t have a full list of what was stolen from houses targeted but said “there wasn’t anything unusual/out of the ordinary”.

And the spokesman added: “Inspector Jim Purdie, commander for the Harborough and Wigston Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA), has spoken to both the leader of Harborough District Council and a councillor representing Great Glen regarding the burglaries.

“It was explained that officers are carrying out proactive foot patrols in the area and enquiries are continuing.

“No further concerns were raised and officers from the NPA will continue to listen and engage with partners regarding any further issues.”