Gangs mark house break-in targets with secret code

HOUSEHOLDERS and tenants in Glasgow have been warned that criminal gangs are marking properties in Glasgow to indicate whether a home is worth robbing.

Signs are daubed on walls or nearby pavements indicating features of a potential target, such as the security measures of a property, whether it has been previously burgled, and whether the items in the house are of a high value.

Other markings indicate the presence of a vulnerable occupant, such as a woman living alone.

Police say the markings have been sighted in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, the Evening Times say. The code has also appeared in other parts of the UK.

Some of the signs include an open book – indicating a woman living alone – and an X, meaning a house is a good target.

A local police Twitter feed has published details of the symbols, though they have not been verified by Police Scotland.

Police are aware of the codes, with a spokesman saying: “It has been the case that sheds in the East Kilbride area have been marked with an ‘X’ symbol.”

A police operation launched to investigate burglaries, Operation RAC, has reportedly identified the symbols.