New Forest Garage Burglaries May Be Linked

23 May 2016, 13:14

It's thought burglaries from sheds and garages across the New Forest may be linked.

Police are investigating 35 in total in just the last month - in places like Lymington, New Milton and Ringwood.

Things like power tools and bikes have been stolen.

Between Monday 18 April and Monday 16 May, 15 reports were received for the Lymington and New Milton areas and 20 in total for Ringwood and Fordingbridge.

Police believe that some of the burglaries from sheds, garages and other outbuildings are linked. In many cases garden equipment, power tools, and bicycles have been taken.

In one case an outbuilding on West Road in Bransgore was broken into last Sunday night (May 15-16) and £15,000 worth of power tools, including a disc cutter and circular saw, were stolen.

Inspector Richard Parsons said:

"Please ensure that your outbuildings are kept secure and not an easy target for thieves. In addition ensure that expensive equipment is properly secured with items such as ground anchors and chains. Chaining items together is also an effective way of preventing thieves from removing equipment.

"Remember to keep accurate details of your property including serial numbers and identifying marks, and, wherever possible photographs. This will assist the us in returning items to you if they are recovered.

"I'd also urge the local community to report any persons or vehicles acting suspiciously in the New Forest to us by calling 101".

Police said "we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you of the following crime prevention advice."

- Keep the boundaries of your property well-maintained and secure to keep out unwanted visitors
- Ensure all doors and windows are shut and locked when not in use.
- Ensure windows and door frames are in good repair.
- Fit adequate locks to sheds, garages and outbuildings and consider fitting shutters or grilles to windows, or blocking them completely
- Fit good quality window locks
- Consider fitting a monitored home intruder alarm - Check security equipment regularly to ensure it works properly.