ALERT: Waterford gardai issue warning following spate of thefts from vans

Gardai are urging van drivers to be vigilant following a noticeable increase in thefts from vans at a number of locations across the city.

There have been several incidents in the Ferrybank and the Cork Road areas of Waterford and gardai say CCTV has been retrieved and that investigations are ongoing.

The advice to van drivers is to park in well-lit areas with CCTV and to install additional locking mechanisms on vehicles where possible.

"Portable contact alarms could also be considered. These can be placed on the internal sides of the doors of vans with a simple adhesive pad and will emit audible alarms if the doors are opened.  Some of these alarms can also relay an alert to an app on your phone," said a garda spokesperson.

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For those who park their vans at commercial premises overnight, they are being advised to park the van close to a wall to reduce the capacity to open the doors while in this position.

For high value items, consideration should be given to installing a GPS tracker device. "They are discreet and have long life batteries making them a good security investment," said a spokesperson.

The FREE An Garda Síochána Property App is available to download on most smartphones and it is a good way to catalogue your property, which can then assist gardai in returning recovered items.

"An Garda Siochana would also ask people to consider the origin of any tools being offered for sale at low prices. These could be the livelihood of a tradesperson.  Report all suspicious offers to your local garda station or to the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.