‘Mark your high value tools and gardening equipment’ – that is the message from both Gwynedd and Ynys Môn Community Safety Partnerships following a spate of shed burglaries.
The recent spate of incidents have seen high quality power tools being stolen from sheds across both counties and owners are being urged to assess the security of their sheds.
The Police are urging shed owners to ensure they are secure and are offering some practical steps that can be taken to stop shed burglary which include :-
- Ensuring that the shed is in a good state of repair and that any damaged or rotten sections which could make it easier for a thief to gain access are replaced
- Use quality close shackle padlocks which cannot be easily levered or cut
- If you have a window in the shed consider whether you actually need it and if not consider boarding it over securely. Otherwise, make the window opaque or cover windows to ensure the property inside is not on display
- Consider fitting key operated locks to any opening windows or screwing them shut
- Consider lining the shed with plywood sheeting to make it more difficult for a thief to get through without proper tools and lots of time
- Consider fitting an alarm to the shed, these are readily available from DIY stores or local locksmiths
- Inside the shed, chain any tools through their handles to large heavy items such as lawn mowers or cultivators. If you have neither of these fill a bucket with concrete and, using a masonry fixing, chain your tools to this
- Mark all valuables within your shed with your postcode and house number; record serial numbers of all equipment and keep the records safe
- Ensure sheds and garages are securely locked and never left unlocked
Inspector Guy Blackwell who represents North Wales Police on both Community Safety Partnerships said: “We are urging shed owners to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police.
“Both Gwynedd and Ynys Môn Community Safety Partnerships are working together to make the area an even safer place to live, work and visit.”
North Wales Police were recently awarded £11,000 of funding from the Welsh Assembly Government to purchase specialised property marking kits.
‘SelectaDNA’ is a water-based adhesive containing a unique DNA code, an ultra violet tracer and a series of microdots which can easily be applied to valuable items. The kits, after application, are then registered to the address.
Inspector Blackwell added: “SelectaDNA can be implemented by local neighbourhood police staff as part of the reassurance package provided by local policing teams that are aimed at reducing the fear of crime, increasing the confidence of the public and assist with bringing perpetrators to justice.”
For crime prevention advice and further information regarding SelectaDNA, call into your local police station or telephone North Wales Police on 101.
If anyone has any information regarding burglaries, please contact the police on 101 or alternatively you can telephone Crimestoppers Wales anonymously on 0800 555 111.
