POLICE in Warrington are urging residents to secure sheds and outbuildings after a series of incidents earlier today.
During the early hours of Tuesday December 31, officers in Latchford were called to four suspicious incidents involving thefts from sheds and outbuildings.
Police were first called at around 5am to Griffiths Street after a man was spotted entering their garden shed.
He ran off when he was approached by the owner.
Less than an hour later, at 5.50am, a second report came in of an intruder entering a shed in Kingsway South, Latchford, while acting suspiciously.
The occupants approached and he ran off.
At 6.30am, police were called to nearby Reynolds Street after a man was behaving suspiciously and looking into gardens. He was wearing dark clothing and had his face covered.
Police arrived and arrested a 26-year-old man from Salford, Greater Manchester, on suspicion of theft. He is in police custody assisting officers with their enquiries.
A fourth report emerge at 8.10am involving tools stolen from a residential garage in Henshall Street, also in Latchford.
Anyone with information on any of the four incidents is urged to contact police.
Sgt Neil Mooney, of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “Enquiries in relation to these incidents are ongoing and I urge anyone with any information, CCTV or Ring doorbell footage which may assist our investigation to get in touch.
“Residents can also help us and themselves by making it as difficult as possible for criminals to enter their outbuildings.
“We’d recommend keeping any valuables you may have in your home or in a secure garage, shed or outbuilding with good security measures such as lighting, ground anchors and have CCTV covering any blind spots.”
Cheshire Constabulary’s tips for deterring thieves and burglars from targeting your outbuildings include:
• Never leave a garage, shed or other outbuilding unlocked and easy prey for opportunistic thieves.
• Fit strong padlocks to outbuilding doors and make sure that the doors are solid enough not to be kicked in.
• Good external security lighting can put off or draw attention to a thief/burglar – the most appropriate form is high efficiency low energy lighting controlled by a dusk-to-dawn switch so that it only comes on when it is dark.
• Strong fencing or gates will make it difficult for intruders to get onto your land.
• Solid fences or walls, particularly those with a flat or rounded top, are relatively easy for a thief/burglar to climb over – fixing trellising to the top can make it more difficult.
• Check for weak spots where a thief/burglar could get onto your land, such as a low or sagging fence or a back gate with a weak lock.
• A thorny hedge along the boundary of your property can put thieves and burglars off, as can gravel areas due to the noise of walking on them.
If you have information relating to the recent suspicious activity in Latchford or any other information you think may be relevant, please contact Cheshire Police on 101 or via the website quoting IML 1995737.
You can also give information anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
