Wolverhampton trading estates raided 18 times in one month

Businesses on neighbouring trading estates in an area of Wolverhampton have been hit by thieves 18 times in one month alone, police revealed today.

Firms in East Park are being targeted by burglars making off with metal and vehicles. The number of crimes recorded on trading estates in the area last month is more than double the number of offences for previous months. Police say companies in the Hickman Avenue, Willenhall Road and Landport Road areas of East Park are worst-hit.

Sgt Sid James, from the local neighbourhood team, said tackling the issue was now a priority for local officers in the area after it was raised by residents at a recent meeting.

He explained: "We are going to be carrying both covert and overt patrols in the area to tackle this problem, while we are also eng-aging with the local bus- inesses to advise them about their security measures. We have had metal stolen and also various items from insecure vehicles."

Sgt James said there had been 18 burglaries of properties other than housing last month compared to an average of eight or nine in other months.

Sun Kanda, owner of Tintcentres in Landport Road, fitted £2,000 worth of security equipment to prevent his firm from being targeted.

He said: "We had a problem where we were being done quite regularly so we put some really good CCTV cameras in. That seems to have stopped the problem for us. They don't come here because they know we are linked-in with the police.

"I know at the moment there are burglaries at least a couple of times a week. There used to be a bloke that had a unit near me who shipped second-hand TVs abroad but he's gone now."

Police will provide an upd-ate on the business burglaries at a meeting at Brook- lands Parade Methodist Church, from 6.30pm on July 12. Anyone with information on the thefts should call police on 101 or Crim-estoppers on 0800 555 111.