HUNDREDS of Scots have fallen victim to Christmas break-in raids — with thieves plundering prezzies.
Burglars have been increasingly targeting properties between December 24 and 27 in recent years, according to cop stats.
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And the thefts, totalling 391 since 2019, have prompted warnings for householders to take precautions this festive season.
Data from Police Scotland, released through freedom of information, shows 87 raids in 2019, 65 in 2020, 73 in 2021, 77 in 2022 and 89 last year.
Victim Support Scotland chief executive Kate Wallace said: “People hope for this to be a joyful time of year.
“But unfortunately, this is also when we see a rise in crimes like fraud and break-ins, but also a significant rise in domestic abuse.”
The figures show that thefts are most common on December 27, followed by Boxing Day and then Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day, when most people are home, was the least worst affected.
But 63 incidents were still logged on December 25 over the five-year period.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We would remind people to be mindful of your home and vehicle security, especially during the later afternoon and evening.
“To opportunistic thieves, a dark home is an empty home so always leave a light on if it will be dark before you return.
“It is crucial to keep valuables safe and out of sight.”
As well as break-ins to homes, the raids included thefts from garages, sheds and business premises.
There were 177 home burglaries and 214 break-ins to “non-dwellings” across all 32 local authority areas.
Raids spiked in Fife last year with 16 occurring between Boxing Day and December 27 — 15 of them at lock-ups and garages.
We told last month how householders were being warned to watch out for “porch pirates” swiping parcels from doorsteps.
In one incident, a couple were caught on camera apparently nicking packages from a neighbour’s wheelie bin in Glasgow.
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