Crowthorne and Sandhurst

Police are warning householders in Sandhurst and Crowthorne to secure their sheds and garages after a spate of burglaries in which garden tools were used to break into homes.

Between 19 November and 6 December, there were seven burglaries and attempted burglaries in the area, where intruders first broke into garden sheds and then used tools such as spades and shovels to break or force their way through windows and patio doors.

The incidents took place in Dukes Ride and Dukes Wood, Crowthorne; Wellburn Close, High Street and Crowthorne Road, Sandhurst; and College Road in College Town.

John Oblein, Crime Reduction Adviser for Bracknell Forest police area, has some practical advice on how to stop burglars getting hold of your garden tools.

* Inside the shed use a strong steel cable or chain and thread it through all the handles of spades, forks, or anything else that could be used as a lever, joining the ends together with a padlock or, even better, anchor the cable or chain to the floor with bolts. This will give the burglar a harder time and may prevent your tools being used to break into your house.

* You should fit a padlock with hasp and staple (that¡¦s the technical name for the hinged metal flap and metal loop) to the door using coach bolts that go right through to the inside. These will be much stronger than the usual screws.

* If you have an up and over garage door, the central catch at the top of the door can easily be released with a screwdriver or similar tool. To prevent this happening you can fit an extra piece of wood over the top of the door. You can put padlocks half way up the door on each side with separate hasps and staples. These can be fitted on the inside or outside of the door depending on whether you have any other access into the garage. You can also buy special mortise locks, just like the ones recommended for house doors that fit inside the garage doors.

* Tying all the tools, ladders and bikes together with cable or chains in your garage is also recommended. As mentioned before, a detailed list of your property, with makes, models, serial numbers and descriptions would be ideal. Far better to act before the burglary.

You can fit alarms to garages or sheds. You can buy alarms specifically for these quite cheaply, as well as all of the other products mentioned, from local hardware shops, the internet tool suppliers or DIY centres.

If you have any information about the incidents mentioned above, please contact Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505. If you don¡¦t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

For further information or advice contact Bracknell Crime Reduction on 01344 823482.

Thames Valley Police ~ Sandhurst and Crowthorne