Swampscott police caution residents following series of house, car break-ins

SWAMPSCOTT – Police are advising residents to take precautions after receiving reports of three home daytime break-ins during the past two days and several car break-ins in recent weeks.”We want to inform residents that we’ve had some car breaks and now we’re having some house breaks, and it happens in any community,” said Det. Ted Delano. “The residents know the neighborhoods best. If they see any individual they think is suspicious give us a call.”The car break-ins have been predominantly in the Phillips Avenue section of town and targeted GPS units, computers and pocketbooks left in unattended vehicles, according to an e-mail from Chief Ronald Madigan.Delano said that thieves have targeted both unlocked vehicles and have smashed windows of locked vehicles to gain access to the cars. Most of the car break-ins occurred overnight.Two of the three house break-ins have occurred in the neighborhood along the Swampscott and Lynn border near Erie Street and Eastern Avenue, according to Madigan’s e-mail, and the third occurred on Stetson Avenue.All occurred during the daytime, and Delano said that the investigation is ongoing and police are pursuing several leads.Delano said that the thieves were targeting portable electronics and jewelry.Delano said that the car breaks are considered unrelated to the house breaks and the house breaks are considered unrelated to several break-ins from late spring that occurred in the Forest Avenue section of town.But he recommended that residents take similar precautions as during the previous incidents, such as writing down the serial numbers of electronic equipment and photographing valuable items so that they can be identified in the event they are stolen and recovered.