Alderman: Be on the lookout for thieves

The call, by DUP Alderman Gary Middleton, follows a weekend in which £70,000 worth of industrial property was stolen from various premises at the industrial estate, and the following evening bicycles were stolen from another area of the village, but were later recovered. Prior to Christmas residents were urged to be on the lookout after copper cabling was stolen in broad daylight, plunging domestic properties into darkness along Gortinure Road.

Members of the DUP have visited the premises targeted, and are now seeking an emergency meeting with senior police to discuss what can be done to protect domestic and commercial premises in the village.

Mr Middleton said he believed the propellers were stolen for their value as scrap metal.

“Propellers for boats were stolen and to me it seems obvious that they were stolen for their value as metal as they would be worth a huge amount. I believe the 14 propellers that were taken are worth in the region of £50,000. In a nearby premises a van was stolen and a horsebox. I don’t know what the van is worth, but the horsebox is worth in the region of £9,000 and it needed to be towed, so the thieves obviously came in a vehicle with a tow bar as the van they stole did not have one. This combined with the fact that they knew how and where to dig up and cut the security cables indicated that they knew the area and were familiar with the premises and with what was in them.

“While the firms may be able to make a claim to recover the cost of the stolen goods and damage, there is no doubt that they will miss orders due to what has happened, which is not good in this climate,” he said, adding: “I understand from talking to the police that the PSNI and the Garda are working together to identify those responsible and recover the stolen property, and will be contacting garages and scrap metal dealers on both sides of the Border to alert them to the origin of these items should they be approached to buy them.”

Mr Middleton went on to call on the PSNI to step up visible patrols in the village to try and deter the thieves.

A delegation from the DUP visited the industrial estate on Monday, following which, Alderman and Mayor Maurice Devenney, said: “We are now seeking to have a meeting with senior police as a matter of urgency to discuss the issues. This burglary on Saturday night must have been very well organised because they were able to cut the power off and stole high value goods. Certainly it seems those involved knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going and what to take. It is unbelievable.”

“Businesses in this economic climate don’t need this kind of activity.

Detectives at Strand Road have appealed for information following the burglaries and criminal damage they caused at the industrial estate.

They are keen to speak to anyone who saw damage being caused to the BT cables connected to premises alarms, located at the entrance to the industrial estate. Police say approximately £1,000 worth of damage was caused by this alone.

The alarm was raised at the engineering works at around 9.50am on Sunday, and police believe the break-in took place sometime between 5pm on Saturday and 9.30am on Sunday.

“Approximately 14 boat propellers, measuring from 24” to 60” and with approximate value of between £45,000 and £50,000, were stolen from premises,” the PSNI spokesman said.

Later on Sunday at about 11.25am, a report was received from another premises within the industrial estate that a break-in had occurred overnight and a grass tracking motorbike of unknown value was taken in addition to an IFor Williams black horse box. The model number for the horse box is HB 511, and it is valued at around £6,000.

A white VW Crafter van, with the words ‘Doherty’s insulation services stencilled on the side and rear, was also taken from the same premises. The registration number is P16 PJD, and the van is valued at around £15,000.

And in a separate incident overnight on Sunday into Monday three bicycles were stolen from a property in the village.

“Police can confirm they received a report of three bikes being taken sometime between the evening of Sunday 8 January and the morning of Monday 9 January. The bikes were recovered by the owner the next morning,” a PSNI spokesman said.

Anyone with any information about this is asked to contact police in Waterside on 0845 600 8000.