By Wiley Wood

“The number one crime in our area,” said Norfolk’s resident trooper, Greg Naylor, “is residential burglaries.” He was speaking in the cafeteria of Botelle School on the evening of March 5 at a meeting hosted by this newspaper on the subject of crime.

Most of the burglaries, according to Naylor, are drug related. The goods being sought are items that can readily be converted to cash on the street—jewelry or electronics. The main corridor is along Route 272 and the roads leading off it, because of its relative seclusion.

Naylor talked about the speed with which burglars work, their skill at looking like anything but burglars—they might carry a rake or a clipboard as they approach your house—and the importance of not interrupting a burglary in progress. “These are individuals who don’t want to be apprehended, and that’s a moment when violence can happen.” He recommends jotting down the license of a suspicious car or signaling a suspicious occurrence to the police.

At the same time, Naylor acknowledged that he cannot be everywhere at once, that calls to the Canaan barracks are often answered by a machine, and that his administrative duties get in the way of his crime prevention responsibilities. Nonetheless, he cites his rate of solving crimes at 70 to 80 percent, far above the average in most communities.

He urged neighbors to keep an eye on each other’s houses, quoting a criminal who said: “The two things I hate most are loud dogs and nosy neighbors.”

A video of the event can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDjCDZMRMuI&list=UUAjHANVR9NirTVnTFJ5AhbQ.

Photo by Bruce Frisch.