Call for vigilance following the theft of bicycles from garages in Hartford

Detectives are urging people who live in Hartford to be vigilant following the theft of a number of bicycles in the village.

The bikes were stolen from garages in the Beach Road, Hodge Lane, Chester Road, The Crescent and Parker Avenue areas between around 12.30am and 3am on Monday 27 April.

Enquiries in relation to the incidents, which are believed to be linked, are ongoing.

The detectives investigating the crime spree are urging anyone with information about the incidents to come forward and are also appealing for residents to take action to reduce their chances of becoming victims of theft.

Detective Sergeant Simon Parker, of Northwich Local Policing Unit, said: “We are determined to establish who stole the bicycles, make them face the consequences of their actions and do all we can to have the bikes returned to their rightful owners.

“Enquiries are ongoing and I urge anyone with any information or footage that may aid our investigation to get in touch.

“Perhaps you witnessed something suspicious in Hartford in the early hours of Monday 27 April, or maybe you have CCTV footage that has not already been provided to the police.

“If you have any information or footage that may help our investigation please call us on 101, quoting IML 691954, or give the details via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report.

“Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“Residents can also help us and themselves by making it as difficult as possible for criminals to enter their garages or other outbuildings and steal their bikes or other possessions.

“They can do this by following our crime avoidance advice.”

Cheshire Constabulary’s tips for deterring thieves from targeting your garages and other outbuildings include:

• Never leave a garage, shed or other outbuilding unlocked and easy prey for opportunist thieves
• Good external security lighting can put off or draw attention to a thief – motion-activated flood lights and high efficiency low energy lighting controlled by a dusk-to-dawn switch are advised
• If you have external security lighting that comes on when sensing movement, make sure that the lights are directed downwards to prevent them from being annoying to neighbours and dangerous to passing traffic
• Make sure neighbours and passers-by can see everything going on near your garage by clearing away large trees and shrubs and keeping entry points visible from the street
• Do not leave automatic garage door openers where they can be accessed by a thief
• Fit strong padlocks to outbuilding doors and make sure that the doors are solid enough not to be kicked in
• 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 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 off, as can gravel areas due to the noise of walking on them.

The force’s anti-theft advice for bicycle owners includes:

• Get your bike security marked and registered at BikeRegister for a highly effective visible deterrent to bike thieves
• Remember to record details of your bike, such as the frame number, the BikeRegister number and any other distinguishing features, and take a photo
• Take the same care to lock your bike securely at home as you would on the street
• It can take thieves as little as a few seconds to cut through some locks, so use two good quality locks, with at least one of them being a D-lock.