People are being urged to leave a light on at home when going out at night after a spate of break-ins.
Police patrols have been stepped up in Boxmoor after a spate of burglaries where jewellery has been taken.
Officers are also reminding people to double lock their front doors and lock windows when leaving the house.
Dacorum Det Insp Justine Jenkins said: “There has been a marked increase in burglaries in the Boxmoor area in the past couple of months and we’ve been increasing patrols in the area, using additional resources to try to combat this.
“The burglaries are mostly occurring in the evenings up until around 10pm and jewellery is predominantly being targeted. We’ve been delivering crime prevention advice to residents in the area, but if you’ve missed this it is important that if you’re not going to be in your property in the evening I would advise you to either leave a light on or set a timer switch for a light to come on when it gets dark. This simple step will give your house the appearance that someone is in and it could deter a burglar.”
>Three men - two from Watford and one from Camden - have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle on Thursday. They have been police bailed until January 29 while the investigation continues.