Officers in Bargoed are reminding residents to check the security of their sheds and garages following a recent burglary in Pwll y Allt, Tir y Berth where a garage lock was drilled through and a motorbike was stolen.
PSCO for the Bargoed Neighbourhood Team, Neville Davies said: “We ask residents to remain vigilant and check the security that they have in place on their sheds and garages. Unfortunately, with Christmas approaching, unscrupulous people will be looking for easy targets. 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.”
PSCO Neville Davies would also like to hear from anyone who may be interested in starting a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in any area of Tir y Berth. Please contact Bargoed Station on 01443 875168 for further details.
If you have any information on the garage burglary, then please contact 01633 838111 or the Bargoed Neighbourhood Policing Team on 02920 857 455.
Officers are offering 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.
