In recent weeks, residents of East Hills have complained about a crime increase in their area. And indeed, burglaries in the North Shore area have been on the increase since the September 11 terrorist attack.

That's what Village of East Hills Mayor Michael R. Koblenz confirmed to a crowd of up to 200 residents who packed into the auditorium at Harbor Hill School last Thursday night for a community forum on the local burglary problem.

The mayor was joined by representatives from the Nassau County police department, Inspector George Morris of the Sixth Precinct and Detective Ron Burke. Mayor Koblenz and Inspector Morris gave the same reasons for the crime increase. They cited a sagging economy, but as importantly, the county's fiscal problems, which have prevented Nassau County from hiring more police. In addition, the county has offered generous early retirement packages for its existing personnel, which itself has resulted in some police leaving the force.

In short, the area's small cadre of "professional" burglars are reading in the papers that the county is putting a freeze on law enforcement hirings. This emboldens them to try burglaries they might have shied away from in recent times. So far this year, there have been 51 reported burglaries in the Sixth Precinct. "There's not that many burglars out there," Inspector Morris said. "But they're back in business, so to speak. They're all professionals."

Inspector Morris said recent burglaries share the same characteristics. The burglar knocks on the front door. If someone is home, they make up a "baloney story," claiming they have the wrong address, and then leave for another house. If no one is home, they go to the backyard, pound on the door again, before kicking it in.

Once in the house, the burglars will knock out the alarm system. Then, they head straight for the master bedroom, looking for jewelry and loose bills. Such crimes, the mayor said, are fairly easy to commit and the criminals are often hard to catch. The entire crime doesn't take long, while, on the other hand, it takes police about eight minutes to respond to alarms.

All burglaries have taken place at residences when the homeowner was out. In response to a question, Mayor Koblenz said he did not know if housekeepers were present at any of the recent crimes.

The mayor reiterated that East Hills is not a crime-ridden neighborhood. He said that Roslyn, Great Neck, and Port Washington are all experiencing more such crimes. Mayor Koblenz admitted that before September 11, burglary was not a problem in the area.

All three offered suggestions to local homeowners. There is a plainclothes policemen presence in the area. What is needed, however, are "nosy neighbors." Burglars do not park their cars in front of the house they are targeting. Usually, they park around the corner of the house so as not to be too noticeable. Still, even the sight of the strange car in any neighborhood should cause suspicion among residents. The mayor advised the audience to call 911, rather than the village's security forces. Above all, residents need to be the "eyes and ears" of the community.

The mayor also noted that East Hills, in the past, had various neighborhood watches working in the village. The village worked with local civic associations to create such watches. Residents would gather in the same car, have some coffee and patrol the streets. Mayor Koblenz said he would like to see such watches started up again. "We have to do it ourselves," the mayor said about the situation. "We can't just rely on the police."

Inspector Morris also endorsed the nosy neighbor approach. He said 90 percent of all arrests are started when a nosy neighbor makes a call to 911. The inspector also said the county has long had a major problem with false alarms. For instance, out of the 3,224 burglary alarms the precinct received from the East Hills area in 2001, only "five or ten" turned out to be real.

Again, the way to go is to call 911. "If you don't like what you see, call us," Inspector Morris said. "That's what we're here for. That's what catches burglars. If it's [the 911 call] about someone who's only selling Cablevision, we don't mind. That's what we're here for."

Detective Burke said that burglars look at various things to see if someone's at a house they are targeting. Burglars will look to see if a car is parked in the driveway, if the trash cans have been put on the roadside, and if the mail is still in the box. Burglary, he said, is a crime of opportunity. If burglars see someone leaving a house, they just might try robbing it.

The detective stressed deterrence as a way to prevent burglaries. As noted, a burglar goes straight to the bedroom once he is in the house. So the wise thing for a homeowner to do is to put their valuables in the attic or the basement. Burglars won't bother going to these locations. It takes too much time, plus they're afraid they may get stuck in those rooms. Residents were also advised to keep the shrubbery in their front yard trim and low so that burglaries won't go sneaking around behind them. In addition, homeowners should put longer screws in their doors, so that burglars won't be able to crack the locks.

Another deterrent is obviously to have a dog around the house grounds. If one doesn't own a dog, then they should make burglars think one is around.

Detective Burke said he keeps a big dog bowl and a chain (as a leash) in his backyard. His house has never been robbed. "Burglars are after jewelry and cash," he said. "They put it in their pocket and then walk out of the house."