Garage break-ins and golf club thefts

After a spate of garage break-ins over the weekend, Police are warning anyone with a garage or lock-up to be more vigilant. Three garages in Aberdeen were broken into and thousands of pounds of golfing equipment was stolen.

North East Division Crime Reduction Officer, Constable Mark Irvine said:

"We advise everyone to look at the security of their buildings and consider these simple steps as well as checking their home insurance policies to ensure they have adequate cover. Many policies will not cover high value items unless they are specified on the policy"

• Always lock the external garage door, particularly if you have an internal door to your house. This may sound ridiculous, but many people don’t. Ensure your car is locked, even when inside the locked garage.
• Illuminate the exterior of your garage. Outdoor security lighting is an excellent deterrent for intruders, especially when you opt for a motion sensor light. It can also bring illumination to your outdoor areas, bringing you better security.
• Electrical tools should be in locked toolboxes, steel if possible, and it is a good idea to run a chain through the handles of garden tools, to prevent them being used to cause further damage. Consider forensically marking all your tools with readily available and extremely cost effective kits. This combined with visible signage will help deter potential criminals. It also assists in tracing them back to their owners, should they go missing.
• For additional security, consider good quality hasps and padlocks to the door, fitted with dome headed or non-returnable screws to prevent tampering. Appropriate products that are approved as ‘Sold Secure’ or ‘Secured by Design’ should be considered. For more information visit www.securedbydesign.com
• Secure windows and don’t give intruders the opportunity to see inside. Consider fitting internal window grills, heavy wire mesh or reinforced glass. You could also use curtains or opaque film. If the window opens, a window lock should be fitted.
• If you have an intruder alarm, consider extending it to cover sheds, garages and outbuildings and ensure that there is a visible external sounder box. If not consider battery powered motion detector alarms, readily available online.
• If bicycles are kept in the garage they should locked, preferably to the structure of the building ground or wall anchor if possible with good quality chains and padlocks. Register bikes online with Bike Register.

Many companies provide free tool registers, via smartphone apps, which help remove the market for stolen goods. This is also a good method of retaining all the tool details such as model and serial number as well as photographs.

Comprehensive crime prevention advice can be obtained from your local policing team by telephoning 101 or contacting your local Crime Prevention Officer by emailing:

NorthEastCrimeReduction@Scotland.pnn.police.uk

Remember: If you can think of a way of defeating your existing security measures, so can a criminal.

Original message sent by: North East Division Crime Reduction Officer, Constable Mark Irvine