Of all the houses . . . Burglar disturbed at Shrewsbury home of Telford's top cop

But one hapless would-be thief tried to break into the Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, home of Superintendent Tom Harding before being scared off by a security light.

And although the wannabe burglar was caught on camera, Mr Harding said it should act as a warning for everybody this Christmas.

Superintendent Harding, who took off in his car to try to track down the burglar, tweeted:

He later replied to a well-wisher:

This morning he said: "I happened to look out of the window and saw him walk down the driveway. He went out of shot and then after 20 seconds or so he reappeared.

"I saw him go around to next door's house, their security light came on and then he went off down the road.

"I went out in the car for about an hour to see if I could find him and stop him offending.

"Most burglaries are sneak-ins – they're literally trying doors. Make sure that your doors are locked no matter what time it is. Think of security lights, CCTV and alarms. They stopped this chap."

Superintendent Harding said a lifetime of being in the police hadn't made him feel any better about the break-in attempt.

"No matter who you are or what you do, when someone has tried to invade your home it's disturbing. You're more vigilant.

"Although where we live in an incredibly safe part of the UK, criminality is everywhere, and you need to reduce the risk."

Christmas can be a busy time for burglars, Mr Harding said.

"People have bought presents, they're wrapped," he said. "It's an important time of year to be vigilant. It is horrific, especially if someone gets in and steals all your presents.

"It's also important to remember what the outside of your house looks like. After Christmas, don't leave an iMax box or the box from your new 75 inch television on your drive. You're advertising the fact that you've got these items in your home."

To help with the busier period, more police will be on the beat over the next few weeks.

"There will be more officers on duty from now throughout Christmas and into the New Year, both evenings and days. They'll be out on high visibility patrol," said Superintendent Harding.

"They will be vigilant about who is walking around, but if you do see someone suspicious that you don't know give us a call. It may well assist us. On that particular evening, we had two other calls of suspicious activity within half a mile. It helps us build a picture."