Break-ins could be linked

POLICE believe three break-ins in the vicinity of Malvern Cemetery could be linked.
Thieves got away with tools and electrical equipment from two household sheds as well as the former chapel at the cemetery, which is now used for storage.
Heavy-duty locks were smashed off the chapel and equipment valued at between £2,000- £3,000 was stolen some time between Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, June 2.
It is believed a vehicle could have been used to transport some of the heavier items including a two-feet square electric generator and a petrol engine pump.
The site is owned by Malvern Town Council and clerk Richard Chapman said they would be considering increasing security on site.
A bungalow in Elmley Close, which backs onto the cemetery grounds was also targeted with a 48-year-old disabled man losing an electric drill, mitre saw and hedge trimmer from his shed.
Nigel Holder was watching television until the early hours of the morning on Tuesday but did not hear anyone enter his property or break the lock of his shed.
He said: “I feel sick. What do you do to protect yourself?”
He speculated that he could have been seen by the thieves using the equipment in his garden as his property is adjacent to an alleyway.
A homeowner in nearby Madresfield Road reported the theft of a £150 Black and Decker strimmer from their garden shed between 3pm on Monday, June 1 and 9.30am on Tuesday, June 2.
West Mercia Police spokesman Porcha Treanor said: “There’s a possibility that these incidents are linked, however it’s thought the cemetery theft would have required a vehicle of some kind to transport some of the items.”
Advice to shed owners has been re-issued by the police in light of this current spate of thefts.
Home-owners are advised to ensure gates, fences and walls are kept in good repair to stop intruders getting in your garden, to grow ‘defensive planting’, such as prickly plants, bushes and shrubs, close to vulnerable areas such as windows, fences, boundary walls and drainpipes.
The Safe and Secure campaign also advises that most sheds are not designed for safe storage and should not be used to store expensive equipment such as garden tools, mowers and power tools.

(Reproduced from the Malvern Gazette, June 4th)

GARDIEN TIP: See our comprehensive advice at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/shed-outbuilding-security.aspx