Police are warning residents to up their domestic security after 26 shed and garage breaks in the Pontllanfraith and Penmaen areas in the last four weeks.
PC Alison Perry, Neighbourhood Officer for the Blackwood Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “During the warmer weather we are reminding residents to remain vigilant and to check the security on their sheds and garages.
“People spend a lot of money on their gardens and we’re trying to highlight that expensive items such as tools, garden furniture and lawnmowers are very desirable to an opportunist thief.
“We suspect that this is happening during the early hours of the morning so we want to make sure that residents are taking adequate security steps before they store expensive equipment in their shed or garage. Anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood should report it to Gwent Police as soon as possible.”
Residents with any information on the burglaries should contact Gwent Police on 101 on 01495 233 966.
Police have issued the following advice:
- Ensure your shed is in a good physical condition.
- Use a good lock bolted through the door and reinforced with a steel plate.
- Most shed doors open outwards with the hinges exposed, so to prevent these from being removed, replace the screws with dome head coach bolts.
- Most thieves gain entry by forcing off the lock. Use a heavy-duty hasp and staple (also known as a pad bar) and secure it with suitable coach bolts and locking nuts
- The padlock needs to be a good quality hardened steel of the close shackle type to prevent it from being cut off.
- Fit a shed alarm – these are relatively inexpensive and can be bought from local hardware stores.
- If your shed or garage has a window, consider fitting a wooden board behind the window to stop thieves shopping for goods. Alternatively you could fit a grille fixed to steel plates inside the shed or garage.
- If the glass is fitted from the outside or its beading is accessible, fix it in place with an adhesive or rubber sealant.
- If your garage has an ‘up and over’ door, fit an additional lock to the one provided, preferably secured to the ground.
- Post Code all property, such as lawn mowers, garden furniture, hedge trimmers and ladders.
- Photograph valuable items so that they can be easily identified in case they are stolen, this includes garden ornaments.
- Install security lighting – you can either purchase lights with sensors to light up your garden and property when movement is detected, or ‘dusk to dawn’ lights will keep your garden lit in the hours of darkness.