Police in Rhiwbina are warning residents to increase security on their sheds and garages following an increase in break-ins. Residents say they’ve had items like bikes stolen from their sheds, even though they were locked up.
The police are now offering advice to residents on how to keep their properties safe
In a statement, they said: “Put all tools away and fit a good quality lock on the shed door. If possible make sure the door, and door frame, of any shed is solid and replace any damaged or rotten areas. This will help with making the door strong enough to resist being kicked or pushed in”.
“Other options to consider are to fit key-operated window locks on opening windows, or screw them permanently shut from the inside if they aren’t used, and consider fitting a battery operated shed alarm. Shed alarms are a cheap and effective option in raising awareness that someone is attempting to break into your shed.”
Sam Brown, who lives in the Heath, had his bike stolen. He says “I got home from work one afternoon last week and noticed that our shed door was open and that struck me as being very strange. I went outside but as soon as I went out I knew my bike had been taken and I had been out of the house from maybe 10 in the morning until two in the afternoon so in a four hour space in the afternoon they’d come and taken my bike… which was chained up inside [the shed].”
Sam says that he’s “really annoyed that it’s been taken, incredibly angry that someone would break into my house, into my shed and take the bike. But also a little bit scared because that meant they were either going from garden to garden looking for things to steal or they were actually following me and knew that I had bikes in the shed.”
He says the police have been informed but his bike hasn’t yet been found .
