For September, the Benton Police Department (BNPD) is concentrating on apprehending criminals attempting burglarize properties. This “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative will also help citizens make security decisions to protect their property and family.
Benton Police Chief Scotty Hodges stated, “We want to send a strong message to anyone coming to our city for these criminal activities, that you will be caught and incarcerated. We are also going to help our citizens learn how to best protect themselves from becoming victims of these types of crimes.”
Citizens are encouraged to visit the BNPD social media during the “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative for ways to protect yourself from burglars, information on neighborhood watch groups, how to stop crimes of opportunity, how to report suspicious activity, and more. Business operators can ask about the BNPD Benton Business Watch, which is a crime prevention tool for local businesses.
Officers will increase neighborhood and business patrols around the clock. Chief Hodges pointed a recent burglary arrest from a Benton convenience store as a great example of the “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative.
In 2016, BNPD investigated 204 Burglaries. So far in 2017, there have been 129 Burglaries.
“These are numbers that we want to dramatically see a reduction in, to increase the quality of life in our city,” Hodges said. “With cooperation and participation from the residents and business owners – from reporting suspicious activity to taking simple crime prevention steps – we can ‘Bust the Burglars’ together. Our officers are going to diligently work to prevent burglaries and apprehend suspects attempting to commit these crimes.”
To report suspicious activity, call the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us anonymous information to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on iTunes and Google Play.
Follow BNPD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/221829174560849