Burglar jailed after being caught on CCTV fleeing dog during a break-in at Luton property

A burglar who was caught on camera trying to evade a dog during a break-in in Luton has been jailed.

Peparim Handraj, 32, of no fixed address, was captured on CCTV as he scaled a wall in a bid to avoid being hounded by victim’s pet at the side of a property in Montrose Avenue on May 1.

Just three days later he was again spotted on CCTV breaking into a home in Rutland Crescent. Once inside he stole electronics, jewellery and personal documents.

Detectives from Bedfordshire Police’s dedicated burglary team, Operation Maze, were able to identify him from the images and he was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary and was jailed for a total of two-and-a-half years at Luton Crown Court last month.

Burglary is a focus for the force and a Scenes of Crime Officer has attended every home break-in since 2019, something which is now being replicated across the country following a decision by all chief constables announced today.

Detective Superintendent Will Hodgkinson said: "Someone breaking into your home can be one of the most distressing crimes due to that invasion of personal space which is one of the reasons why burglary is a priority.

"Our approach means we already attend every incident which involves a break-in of someone’s home, to ensure we capture forensic opportunities to bring those responsible to justice. Every residential burglary is then reviewed by our specialist burglary team.

"We are committed to tackling burglary and continue to look for ways to target those repeat offenders."

The work by the Operation Maze team has seen a drop in burglaries across Bedfordshire, by 12 per cent in the last year. Residents can help police catch burglars by reporting suspicious activity and by putting in deterrents such as the CCTV which caught Handraj.

Detective Constable Jason Wheeler said: “The CCTV images of Handraj literally caught in the act of burgling these homes shows how valuable such equipment can be to helping us bring offenders to justice.

“I would highly recommend that, where feasible, residents install CCTV equipment, even devices as simple as camera doorbells can make a huge difference in deterring crime and supporting investigations.”

Help identify other CCTV images at Beds Police’s website.