South Portland Police are asking the public to lock doors and windows, plus several other precautionary steps, following a rash of home burglaries.

"We have been averaging one reported burglary per -- day, and we are encouraging residents to take some simple steps to avoid being victimized," Detective Sgt. Steve Webster said in a press release today.

"There has been no pattern to the burglaries and they have been occurring in all areas of the city."

Electronic devices, video games and laptop computers make up the largest categories of stolen items, Webster said. Those items are easy to sell or pawn, and are hard to trace if recovered.

The department recommends the following safeguards:

-- Lock all doors and windows.

-- Leave an exterior light on at night.

-- Secure valuables in a safe.

-- Register electronic equipment and record the serial numbers.

-- Mark video games with a distinct identifier, which allows us to return found property to its owner.

-- Report suspicious people in the area immediately to the police. If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't.