Swing seat stolen from Kidderminster garden

A THREE-person swing seat was stolen from a garden in Kidderminster.
The beige metal framed swing seat was in the back garden of a home in Aggborough Crescent at 2pm on Sunday but was discovered missing at 6pm the same day.
A police spokesman said the swing seat was “quite heavy” and officers suspect at least two people would have been needed to carry it.
Anyone with information or who thinks they saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area on Sunday should call Kidderminster Police on 0300 333 3000 or Crimestoppers, free and anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Peter Aston, Kidderminster Police’s crime risk advisor, said: “Police traditionally see an increase in the theft of garden furniture, hanging baskets, and garden ornaments at this time of year and items such as this are safer kept in a rear garden rather than in a front garden.
“Benches, planters and ornaments can be bolted permanently to a concrete base, while stones can also be placed at the bottom of lightweight pots to make them heavy to carry.
“Hanging baskets should be positioned high up where possible, where it will be difficult to get them down, or plastic cables, which can be bought cheaply from DIY stores, can be used to secure them to the bracket, as most thefts are opportunistic and it is unlikely the thief will have a pair of scissors with them.
“Police recommend storing lighter items of garden furniture such as loungers in a locked shed at night or when no-one is around.”

(Reproduced from The Shuttle, July 18th)

GARDIEN TIP: All the above advice and much more is available at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/garden-crime-prevention.aspx