By 
POLICE in Strabane are appealing for information following reports of two burglaries in rural locations yesterday.
A garage at a house in the School Row area was broken into at around 3am on Saturday morning and a shed and van, parked at a house in the Backburn Road area, were entered sometime between midnight and 9.30am, also on Saturday.
A number of items were taken from each property including tools and equipment.
Officers would ask anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity or who may have captured dash-cam footage from these areas which could help with their investigation, to call them at Strabane on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 304 13/12/25.
Chief Inspector Cherith Craig said: “Unfortunately at this time of year we do see an increase in this kind of opportunistic criminality.
“I would encourage those who own or keep quantities of tools, materials or anything that a criminal might consider of value to steal, to please consider adopting some preventative measures and make it as hard as possible for thieves to steal what’s yours.
“Make sure to lock away hand tools when they are not in use. This will not only prevent the theft of the tools themselves but it also means they can’t be used by a thief to gain entry to your own property or vehicle.
“Consider investing in high-security locks for both vehicles and buildings where tools, equipment or materials are stored.
“Mark your with a property marking kit and register them on an approved database.
“If it’s the case that you must store tools in a vehicle, try to park in a well-lit area, preferably with CCTV or other camera coverage, or park with rear or side access doors against a wall to prevent access.
“Support within rural communities is also really important and I would urge neighbours to look out for one another by immediately reporting any suspicious activity in their area to police. The faster information is reported, the quicker we can take action.”
“You can find more crime prevention advice on our website. You can also request a visit from one of our local Crime Prevention Officers.”
