There has been an increase in shed and garage break-in the local area.

Officers are urging the public to remain vigilant and if possible take extra precautions to safeguard their sheds and garages.

Members of the public may wish to:

• Attach a secondary lock to the base of the garage

• Alarm the outer building; this can be done with a single alarm or it can be linked to the main house alarm if you have one

• Do not leave tools and ladders out to potentially assist offenders

• Place bins behind locked gates or secure them to a fixed point using a chain and padlock

• Use curtains, blinds or one-way window film on shed or garage windows to make sure criminals cannot see what is inside

• Don’t post pictures on social media of your bike, or your routes on fitness trackers/apps that show your start/finish point as offenders may be able  to determine the home address of where your bike is stored

• Forensically mark and register your bikes, tools or other expensive items using an accredited forensic marking solution

• Consider additional security such as home CCTV systems and alarms.

For more information on how to keep your sheds and outbuildings secure, please click this link:

https://www.dorset.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/secure-shed-garage/

We would encourage members of the public who witness any suspicious behaviour to report it to Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.

Please do not use Dorset Alert to report a crime or something else that requires urgent police attention as we are unable to log details via this system. You should call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.