'Think like a thief' advice to residents after rise in shed break ins
Police in south Shropshire have advised residents to 'think like a thief' after in increase in burglaries.
Bishop's Castle & Rural's safer neighbourhood team has recently seen outbuildings broken into in Cefn Einion, Hardwick, Snailbeach, Plowden, Knighton, Clunbury, Darnford, and Ratlinghope.
Some saw nothing taken but in other incidents the stolen property has included gardening equipment and copper.
In their latest newsletter to residents officers said: "The last month has seen an increase in burglaries to outbuildings around the patch, with some occurring during the daytime when the home owners are out.
"A series of opportunistic daytime burglaries occurred around south Shropshire on May 12 and 13 and a suspect vehicle has been established from CCTV at some of the burglary locations, enquires are ongoing. The main target has been power tools such as chainsaws."
In their advice to residents to "think like a thief" they say: "Take a look at your shed or outbuilding and consider how you would break in. It’s worth having a good padlock on the door with no exposed screws.
"Pay attention to hinges, as these are sometimes easily removable. If you have windows then these could be vulnerable unless they’re secured with wire mesh or grills. And keep it locked at all times."
People should also consider a a battery-operated shed alarm, they say.
"They look low key but they respond to movement or door contact with an extremely loud siren," the police team adds.
They also advise people to lock everything away securely.
"It’s always worth draping an old sheet or blanket over the top of mowers or bikes to keep them covered from view," they add.
Other advice is never to leave sheds or garages unlocked and to mark property with names and postcode using products such as CreMark or Smartwater.
