There's been a rash of burglaries in various Peninsula cities in recent months in which teams of thieves knock on the doors of homes to see if anyone answers. If they get no answer, they set about burglarizing the place.
The incidents have occurred in San Carlos, Hillsborough, and Belmont, with three occurring the same day in Belmont last week. The crooks seem to be working separately, though all part of the same trend.
The scheme tends to involve making up some excuse if a person does answer the door, like asking for directions.
In one incident, caught on surveillance camera at a home in which there was a nanny at home with a sleeping child, a woman with an infant in her arms appeared at the front door and knocked. The nanny didn't respond because she didn't recognize the woman, and a short while later two men can be seen trying to break via a sliding door in the back of the house. They bolted when the nanny appeared.
Belmont Police Captain Pat Halleran blames Oakland and San Leandro for exporting these crooks across the Bay, saying they've arrested a few suspects from the East Bay. But in at least one recent Hillsborough incident, the man arrested came from nearby San Bruno.
But we have a question: Does nobody have house alarms anymore?
