A PROLIFIC burglar who admitted more than 175 offences, including several in Hitchin, has spoken out about his offending to help out potential victims of crime.

The 24-year-old from Herts, whose identity is being kept secret, was convicted of the burglaries which were committed in Hitchin, as well as other parts of the county, North London and Bedfordshire.

The majority of these were the homes of Asian families for their gold jewellery.

The offender speaks about his reasons for committing the burglaries, stating that he targeted specific houses due to the large amounts of gold which could be stolen, combined with the current price of gold.

He says that he looked for insecure homes that needed little effort to break into, properties where it appeared no-one was home, and homes where he could tell that Asian people lived.

The video will now be shown to members of the Asian community in Hertfordshire at mosques, temples and community centres.

Detective Inspector Clare Smith said: “This man has admitted to committing a significant number of crimes and, if he’d not been apprehended, he would have posed a significant threat to the public of Hertfordshire and elsewhere.

“We know that this community has been particularly vulnerable to burglary in recent months while the price of gold has increased, and we’ve been working hard to tackle this crime and bring offenders to justice.

“This information provided to police by this offender will further boost our work and will also allow people to hear first hand what they can do to help themselves.”

Between April 2011 and March 2012, there were 110 burglaries in Asian households in the county.

Dwelling burglary has reduced in Herts in that same period, but police are hoping to reduce it further.

“While he predominantly targeted the Asian community, he raises some important points for everyone about how to prevent burglary, such as ensuring you leave a light on outside the property, or use a timer switch to come on when it gets dark,” added DI Smith.

“And for anyone keeping large amounts of jewellery at home, either use a safety deposit box or ensure you buy a good quality safe which complies with official insurance standards and secure it to a wall or the floor.”