Potters Bar residents have voiced fears after the number of local burglaries soared by 64 per cent in a three-month period.

According to the latest police figures, there were 72 break-ins in Potters Bar and Shenley between December 2017 and February 2018, compared to 44 during the same period last year.

The rise has sparked worry among residents that the local police officers are being overwhelmed as increasingly brazen burglars relentlessly target the town.

Potters Bar Neighbourhood Watch administrator Chris Cook said: “The rise in burglaries themselves are naturally worrying but of more concern is the brazen nature of some incidents.

“We have seen groups approaching houses in the early hours and, presumably knowingly, being recorded on CCTV.”

The 61-year-old was central to a petition calling for central government to “fully fund” policing nationwide.

However, Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd previously said the county does not need more central government funding – pointing to the police officer base being maintained over the last five years.

A Dugdale Hill Lane resident said that although the town’s police presence has recently increased, he feels it is a case of “too little too late”.

“Police need to become proactive and not reactive,” he told the Potters Bar Edition. “I’ve always felt very safe in Potters Bar but now that’s changed and it’s sad that we are now having to invest in CCTV and others measures to protect ourselves.

“The most recent break-ins, where people have been threatened in their own homes, is particularly scary.”

Potters Bar and Shenley Sergeant Noel Buckley said: “Burglary remains an on-going problem in Potters Bar, like the rest of Hertfordshire.

“We have arrested suspects and have increased high-visibility and covert police patrols but we also need the public to help themselves by simply double locking doors, and investing in timer lights and smart web cam CCTV technology inside their homes or on their doorbells.”

He added that a spate of burglaries have involved car keys being taken, so officers are recommending residents avoid leaving them near the front door.