Residents in the affluent Cotswolds villages of Kingham and Churchill have formed vigilante groups in response to a wave of burglaries targeting high-end properties. The villages, where average house prices reach £1 million, have seen a troubling increase in crime, with balaclava-clad gangs stalking homes and stealing cash, jewellery, and vehicles.
CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows a gang attempting to break into a property in Churchill on Boxing Day. Two masked individuals in tracksuits scoped the house before one tried to redirect a security camera. The homeowner, alerted via her mobile phone, posted details in a local WhatsApp group, prompting 30 residents to chase the gang away.
On the same evening, a separate burglary occurred in Kingham, where raiders smashed a back door and stole cash and jewellery. Police believe the two incidents are linked, occurring just five minutes apart by car. Kingham has also experienced numerous high-value car thefts, with burglars entering homes to steal keys.
Locals attribute the rise in crime to the area's reputation as a haven for celebrities and millionaires, including Kate Moss and Simon Cowell, making it a 'magnet for criminals'. Residents have formed multiple WhatsApp groups to coordinate responses, and police have deployed six cars to the area.
The father of the Churchill family targeted on Boxing Day, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: 'We were away and saw two people trying to break in. Within seconds people were running out to get them. People just went for it.' He noted that the group was formed after previous burglaries and other local crime.
