Arrest made following burglaries in rural part of Tewkesbury

Police arrested a man earlier this week following a number of burglaries in the village of Bengrove near Tewkesbury.

At around 1am on Tuesday morning (24 January) police responded to a report that the garages of two houses in the village had been broken into.

Officers from the Rural Crime, Local Policing and Specialist Operations teams, along with colleagues from West Mercia Police, attended and saw two men leave an address and run across fields.

A foot chase ensued and one of the men was later found hiding underneath a car parked at a nearby property.

A 54-year-old man from Cheltenham was arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Enquiries are ongoing to identify and locate the other man.

Searches by officers resulted in a number of stolen power tools and gardening or farm items being found within a car the pair were believed to have arrived in.

The car also had number plates on it which had been stolen from a car in Cheltenham the previous day and it was seized.

Investigating officers are asking anyone who lives in the area and has witnessed any suspicious activity to make contact.

Information can be provided to police online by completing the following form and quoting incident 18 of 24 January: www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/    

Alternatively information can be submitted anonymously by calling the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

As the winter months continue officers would like to remind residents of the protective measures that can be taken to help ensure homes and vehicles are as safe as possible.

There are a number of measures that can be taken to help protect your home from burglary with homeowners advised to install a 'WIDE' combination of security devices as well as ensuring that back gates are secure.

A 'WIDE' combination includes: Window locks, Indoor lights on timer switches, Double door locks or deadbolts and External lights on a sensor. More here: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/police-forces/gloucestershire-constabulary/areas/gloucestershire/campaigns/burglary/

There are also a number of additional crime prevention methods that you can consider which include:

• Having strong and secure locks on doors and windows. Make sure you include gates leading to the rear of your property.
• Storing high-value items within your house as well as making a note of the serial numbers and take photographs.
• Security marking valuable items with either an Ultra-Violet pen or a forensic marking kit.
• Use a padlock on your shed, especially if you leave a lot of expensive garden equipment in there. Some burglars take advantage of your shed being unlocked. You can also consider a shed alarm.
• Defensive planting (thorns, bushes) can prevent casual intrusion.

Additional advice on ways to help protect your shed, outbuilding or garage from burglary can be found here: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/secure-shed-garage/