Burglars are using coded chalk symbols to let other
criminals know whether a property is worth targeting.
The marks, dubbed the Da Pinci Code, are made by would-be
thieves to indicate if the house is vulnerable, revealing who is living in the
house and whether there is anything worth stealing.
Chillingly one sign, in the shape of an open book, says a
vulnerable female resident is the occupant and another symbol indicates a
homeowner who is ‘nervous and afraid’.
The chalk markings were spotted on the side of a pensioner’s
home in Walkden, Greater Manchester.
Police are now investigating the shapes after speaking to
other residents in the area and have distributed leaflets in the area warning of
the symbols.
The code has been previously been spotted in other parts of
the country.
Resembling washing instructions with a series of crosses,
circles and boxes, they have been found on walls and surfaces of homes as well
as pavements and kerbs.
A simple 'X' means the home is a good target, while the same
symbol outlined with a circle means there is nothing worth stealing in the
property.
A capital D with a dash drawn in it indicates that burgling
the house is too risky, while five circles in the shape of a star shows that a
property is wealthy.
Other marks reveal if a house is alarmed or has already been
burgled.
Salford police are now urging people who have noticed these
symbols to take a picture and then wash them off the property as soon as
possible. Police launched their investigation after receiving a report from an
elderly woman on Sunday, August 25.
Chief inspector Sue Downey said: 'Police in Salford received
a call from a woman in Walkden, who was concerned that a symbol had been marked
on her house in chalk.
'Enquiries have been carried out and residents in the
surrounding area have been spoken to, and we have received no further reports
of any such activity.
'We always ask the public to remain vigilant and to report
any suspicious activity to the police, which we will investigate.
'On this occasion we can find no link between the chalk
symbol at this address and any criminality.'
In January, police in Torbay, Devon, posted the symbols on
Twitter in a bid to warn homeowners that they may be a target for thieves.
In 2009, the affluent suburb of Tandridge in Surrey was also
targeted by similar markings.
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