Secret 'housebreaking code' spotted in East Kilbride Published duration 15 April 2015

image copyright Police Scotland

A secret "Housebreaker's Code" has been used to target properties in the west of Scotland, police have warned.

Officers have now issued a key to the code, which they said had recently been spotted in East Kilbride.

The characters scrawled on houses and sheds by criminals can indicate whether a property is alarmed, has vulnerable occupants or has been robbed before.