FOLLOWING increasing reports of burglaries across Wiltshire, police have issued tips to help keep your gifts safe this Christmas.

  • Register your valuable items such as bikes, electronics, tools etc. for free on www.Immobilise.com.
  • Take pictures of valuables and record their serial numbers and keep these safe. This information helps increase the chance of these items being returned to you if they are stolen.
  • If possible, don’t store Christmas presents in the garage prior to the big day. Keep them inside the house but out of sight.
  • Consider installing a Secured by Design approved anchor post inside the garage to which you can secure valuable items such as bikes.
  • If your garage has an up and over door, consider installing an outer bracket and floor eyelet welded or bolted to the bottom of the door. This should be secured with a closed-shackle padlock. Alternatively if you access your garage via an internal door, you can drill a hole in the top channel above the wheels and insert a padlock into the hole.
  • Never leave a garage or shed unlocked, especially if it has a connecting door to the house.
  • Visibly and permanently mark property using a Secured by Design-approved forensic property-marking kit.
  • Think of securing windows with grills or heavy wire mesh to increase window security and the use of net curtains to deter casual viewing of the inside of your garage.