A REFORMED burglar who committed over 60 break-ins in the Morecambe and Lancaster area over a near 15-year period has spoken to The Visitor about his crime spree.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been in prison about 20 times for his offences but has been 'going straight' for the past 12 months.
Now, as part of the police's national burglary campaign Operation Julius, he has talked for the first
time about what led him to a life of crime.
"I grew up in Manchester, where everybody was doing it – pinching cars," he said.
"I wanted to get acceptance from the kind of people I was associating with.
"When you're smoking cannabis and drinking, you need money to fund it. I had a drug habit.
"I would get a car, take it and drive around burgling. I did it almost every night when I was 16 or 17. There was quite a few of us.
"I stole small value items. Money, DVD players, videos, anything that would get me cash."
The man then moved to Morecambe, aged 19, and continued his crimes, burgling houses and later, shops.
"In summer, every house in town has their window open or they've left their keys out," he said.
"You just take the opportunity. It was just spur of the moment.
"Once you're in there, your adrenalin starts going, your senses prick up and you're sneaking around. You don't really think about who's upstairs. It could be someone twice your size, Geoff Capes for all I know."
The man said he eventually got "bored" with his life of crime.
"I started to get used to being caught. I would go to jail, come out and start again but I'd had enough.
"I hit rock bottom. My parents and grandparents are getting on and I started thinking, it could happen to them."
Now the man is working with the police's Tower Project – which aims to rehabilitate offenders.
"The support has kept me going.
"I'm just Joe Bloggs now. I do my shopping every week and go home every night.
"I'm confident about the future. I have things in place that I should have had years ago.
"If I could go back and change it, I would give myself a kick up the backside. But the past is the past. You've just got to go on and hope everybody forgives you."
Speaking from personal experience, the man also had advice for homeowners to deter burglars.
"When you go out, make sure you shut your windows and make sure your home is secure.
"Don't leave the car keys in your home. Use blinds, don't let people see what's inside. Once they can see in, they are going to want what's in there."
He also called for "longer prison sentences" as a deterrent to burglars.
