EDGEFIELD -- The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office asked the public’s help to curb the recent spike in home and business burglaries.

Residents were asked today to keep their eyes open and to report unusual vehicles in their neighborhoods.

“If they see a suspicious vehicle in the area, a vehicle that is riding around and around, then try to get the tag number and a description of who is inside the vehicle,” said Sheriff’s Investigator Randy Doran. “We don’t recommend that anyone approach these vehicles on their own, but just try to get as much information as they can safely. Everyone just needs to look out for one another.”

Suspicions may be reported to law enforcement at (803) 637-5337 or (803) 278-1625.

Investigators estimate Edgefield County burglaries - where a home or business has been breached and items removed from inside - increased between 600 and 800 percent over April and May, and what used to be a handful of thefts have increased to 20 to 25 per month.

Most often, the thefts are taking place in broad daylight, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. - or when most homeowners are away at work. The Sheriff’s Office said it has increased area patrols, but the burglaries have continued.

Investigators first noticed the increased criminal activity taking place in the Merriwether area.

“It started happening around April 4 and they have been increasing since then,” said Investigator Doran. “We’ve had more (burglaries) in the last couple of months than we had all of last year. They are hitting us all over now, but that’s where they started in the Merriwether section. Everybody wants to blame it on the recession and that may be some of it because lots of people are out of work, but we feel these folk do this sort of thing for a living.”

Items being stolen include televisions, jewelry, laptop computers, guns and loose cash.

Investigator Doran said most of the homes being targeted are spaced some distance from other dwellings in the area (between 200 and 400 yards) or there is substantial foliage and shrubbery blocking view of the home. He also said the vast majority of these homes do not have alarm systems.

“Ninety percent of them are happening during the day and Ninety percent don’t have alarms,” he said. “In cases where there were alarms, the alarms have scared them away. I definitely recommend (alarm systems) because they aren’t picky with the houses they hit. They look for houses out away from other homes and with some type of cover or lots of trees and things between houses.”

Investigator Doran said people who are out of town for vacation have also been targeted.

“If you don’t have an alarm, get someone to check on the house at least a couple of times a day and have them actually get out and check the doors and windows.” He added. “We’ve had lots of people to have been gone for three or four days and they didn’t leave anyone to check on the property. You can put the property on patrol check, but we are shorthanded as it is.”