Prince George’s County home invasions on the rise

Prince George’s County police said home invasion robberies since the beginning of 2009 have more than doubled over last year.

Because of that increase in crime, officers are recommending that residents alter their routines and make other changes to keep from falling victim.

There were 86 home invasion robberies reported in the county this year, up from 36 at the same time last year. Detectives think 23 of the crimes reported this year were drug-related, in which victims knew their attackers.

Most home invasions, however, targeted innocent residents.

Chief Roberto Hylton recommended that residents vary their daily travel patterns, including the times they enter and leave their homes. They also should leave their outside lights on, trim back shrubs that could offer hiding places and assume the worst when strangers knock, especially late at night, he said.

The police department has drafted a list of tips that it hopes to get to residents soon.

“I am the police chief in good times and in bad, and I want to be honest with the public and make sure they are aware of these crimes so we can work together to prevent them,” Hylton said. “We have done such a good job of suppressing citizen robberies and managing our burglaries that we think the criminal element in the county has actually adjusted to our strategies and is now focusing on doing home invasions.”

Home invasions are an especially dangerous form of robbery. They often put armed assailants in confined spaces with victims — out of sight of neighbors, friends or anyone else who could call 911. The assailants often try to overpower their victims.

Authorities say there have been 167 victims in this year’s home invasions: 154 adults and 13 children. Forty-seven of the crimes took place in single-family homes, 36 in apartments, two in hotels and one in a mobile home.

Hylton said that in most of the robberies, the criminals appeared to know that someone was home. Only in five has it appeared that residents returned home to find a burglary in progress.

Hylton said detectives have found that some residents might have been followed from public places and confronted when they arrived home.

Prince George’s police have arrested suspects in 27 of the 80 confirmed home invasion robberies. That’s a closure rate of about 34 percent; the national average is 21 percent for major metropolitan areas.

The rise in residential robberies follows a 67 percent increase in commercial robberies in the county early in the year, and police suspect both types of crimes might be tied to the recession.