Security warning after farms raided across Perthshire

The police have issued a security warning after a spate of crimes in rural Perthshire.

Residents are being urged to make sure their homes, sheds and garages are theft-proof. It follows offences in and around the Coupar Angus area in recent weeks.

Officers said a van had been stolen from Coupar Grange House, near Bendochy. The vehicle, a black Volkswagen, registration SM14 TCJ, was driven off by raiders sometime between 12.30pm on Saturday July 1 and noon the next day.

A trailer was also taken from a shed at Milton of Collace, Burrelton.

The Ifor Williams trailer, with four silver alloy wheels, was found to be missing just after 7am on Wednesday July 5.

Between 5pm on July 4 and 8.15am the next day, a haul of gardening tools and electrical equipment were taken from nearby East Kinnochtry Farm.

Detectives could not say at this stage whether the crimes were connected.

There were other thefts from rural locations in Angus.

A police spokeswoman said: “Officers would like to remind people of the importance of taking simple crime prevention measures during day and night, and also the role they can play in keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in their area.”

Residents are urged to use British-standard locks and closed shackle padlocks on all sheds and outbuildings.

Police have also asked locals to consider fitting intruder alarms, CCTV cameras and security lights.

“Make it more difficult for criminals to simply unscrew locks or hinges of shed doors by fitting carriage bolts or clutch head security screws,” the force’s spokeswoman said. “Another method of stopping screws being removed is to fill the heads with epoxy resin.”

Any items can be security marked with their owner’s postcode, while any vehicles and trailers can be fitted with a tracker system.