A house in Dundee's Charleston Drive was broken into sometime between 1.30am on Monday (Jan 23) and 7.30pm on Tuesday (Jan 24).

Amongst the items taken were an Alba combination flat screen television and DVD player, a Technika combination flat screen television, DVD player and Ipod docking station, a Virgin Media V+ box, and an Advent laptop computer.

Officers are keen to trace a man wearing a white hooded top who was seen acting suspiciously near to Lossie Place.

Anyone who has any information that could lead to the recovery of these items, or saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area, should contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222.

Alternatively information can be reported anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police in Dundee are investigating the theft of a child's bike which was stolen from the garden of a house in Balgarthno Terrace sometime between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on Saturday (Jan 21).

The yellow BMX bike, which had been a Christmas present, had three-spoke wheels, black stunt pegs on the rear wheel and a distinctive sticker on the seat.

Anyone who may have any information that could assist with police enquiries, or who knows where the bike is now, should call 0300 111 2222.

Thieves made off with a petrol generator, a Clarke battery charger and 25 metres of cable from a shed at Meggernie Outdoor Centre in Glen Lyon.

The theft happened sometime between midnight on Monday (Jan 12) and 8.45pm on Tuesday (Jan 24).

In a similar incident, there was a theft from a workshop at a farm in Glen Lyon, which happened sometime between 5pm on Sunday (Jan 15) and 5pm on Saturday (Jan 21).

An orange Husqvarna chainsaw, two grey and orange Stihl chainsaws, a Clarke battery charger and an SDMO petrol generator were stolen.

Anyone who was in the area and saw or heard anything suspicious should call 0300 111 2222.

In appealing for information Tayside Police would also urge residents to take the security of their garden sheds, garages and outbuildings as seriously as they do for the family home. Simple common sense measures will reduce their chances of becoming a victim of crime.

Nowadays, it is common for people to store expensive goods and equipment in their sheds, garages and outbuildings – which is precisely why householders should take steps to ensure their belongings are safe and make life as hard as possible for the opportunist thief.

Security measures that can assist with crime prevention include - 

• Where possible, make sure the shed can be seen from the house.
• For visibility at night, consider sensor-operated lighting as a convenient and an effective deterrent.
• Make it more difficult for criminals to simply unscrew locks or hinges of shed doors by fitting carriage bolts, or clutch head security screws. Another method of stopping screws being removed is to fill the heads with epoxy resin.
• If the shed has windows, consider fitting a curtain, or similar, to obscure the view of the shed’s contents.
• Security mark all equipment with the relevant postcode to increase the likelihood of it being returned if stolen and then subsequently recovered. Marking should be obvious, where possible, although an ultra violet pen can be used for more discreet marking.
• A steel cable threaded through removable property and secured to the building can make it extremely difficult for the thief to steal.
• Consider an intruder alarm for the shed, garage, or outbuilding.
• NEVER leave the shed, garage, or outbuilding unlocked.