Police reveal symbols used by burglars

The secret language of crime: Police reveal symbols used by burglars to help fellow criminals target rich and vulnerable homes.
- Burglars use code to highlight good theft targets and warn other criminals
- The symbols are scrawled outside houses as a guide.
- Police have decoded the symbols and are warning homeowners.
Burglars are scrawling secret symbols in the street to help other criminals know which homes to target.
The symbols may indicate that a home is wealthy, has already been burgled or may have nothing worth stealing.
Chillingly, they may also indicate if there is a vulnerable female in the home, or if the occupant is nervous, afraid or easily duped.
A simple 'X' means the home is a good target, while the same symbol outlined with a circle means there is nothing worth stealing in the property.
A capital D with a dash drawn in it indicates that burgling the house is too risky, while five circles in the shape of a star shows that a property is wealthy.
Other marks reveal if a house is alarmed or has already been burgled.
N332: 'Knowledge is power. If we're aware of it happening we can see if there have been any burglaries in the area and we can analyse the data to gather intelligence.'
Police urged homeowners to report any unusual markings on low-rise walls, pavements or kerbs by ringing 062 or their local police station.

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