Burglars are taking advantage of the heatwave as people leave windows and doors open to ventilate their homes.
Police believe criminals are scouring neighbourhoods for insecure houses.
Recent break-ins have seen burglars nip into their victims' homes for only a few moments and escape with valuable, portable items such as laptop computers and mobile phones.
Officers have urged people to keep windows and doors locked while they are out, when they are upstairs or are enjoying the sun in their back gardens.
Two city police stations – Keyham Lane and Hinckley Road – have reported that five homes on their patches had been burgled late on Tuesday or early yesterday.
Keyham Lane station, which covers areas such as Belgrave, Rushey Mead and Humberstone, received three burglary reports.
Inspector Ed McBryde-Wilding, commander of Keyham Lane police, said: "An open door or window gives the advantage to the opportunist burglar.
"Rather than spending time inside a home and ransacking it, they will be in and out very quickly, picking up whatever valuables come to hand.
"Sometimes it is down to an individual offender targeting a specific area.
"We want people to keep their homes secure and to let us know immediately when they see someone behaving suspiciously in their neighbourhood."
Inspector Andy Parkes, commander of Hinckley Road station, which polices neighbourhoods including the West End, Western Park and Braunstone, said: "They key thing is people should call us whenever they see something suspicious.
"The biggest reason we detect burglaries is by catching the offenders at the scene. It is much more effective for us than DNA or finger-printing.
"We have a number of officers out and about in plain clothes and they will be more than happy to come along to check someone out."
Earlier this month, the force launched a major campaign to encourage people to take basic home security steps during the hot weather – most importantly keeping windows and doors locked when they are out or are in remote parts of their homes.
The awareness campaign is part of the force's ongoing effort – codenamed Operation Dynamo – to reduce burglary rates in the city and county.
Detective Chief Inspector Rich Ward, who leads Operation Dynamo, said: "When patrolling the streets at night, officers are noticing that residents are leaving their windows wide open to let in the cool air at night.
"Whilst it seems a logical thing to do, the reality is that leaving windows open leaves your house insecure.
"An open window or door whatever time of day is an invitation to an opportunist thief."
Home security information is available on Leicestershire Police's website. go to
www.leics.police.uk/burglary
