Tayside Police is stepping up its extensive lines of enquiry after a group of men were spotted attempting to break into Carse of Gowrie properties in the early hours of the morning.
The first incident took place on Monday at about 1.20am when two individuals were disturbed when trying to gain access to a property in Newton Steadings, Glencarse.
Eyewitnesses say the assailants then fled the scene in a 4x4-type vehicle.
Around 24 hours later local police received reports of “men acting suspiciously” in the Inchture area, where a car on Springbank was broken into.
One resident of Springbank, just off Meadowview Drive, took to the community’s Facebook page claiming to see four men in a blue saloon car “trying garage doors” in his street.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of men acting suspiciously in the Springbank area of Inchture around 2am on Tuesday, June 21.
“Officers attended and carried out a search of the area but no one was found.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
They also said: “Officers received a report of a break-in to a car on Springbank, Inchture, which is believed to have taken place overnight between Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21.
“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident 0655 of June 21, 2022.”
Local ward councillor Angus Forbes said he is “very concerned” about the attempted thefts and feels it is “unusual for this area”.
He added: “I know that the police are stretched at the moment but I hope they will treat these crimes seriously and put the resources to apprehending the culprits.
“The Carse is quite unique in that it is between two cities with a major road running through its middle thus making access easy for criminals.
“We have seen this in the past with commercial fly tipping that was traced to addresses in Dundee.”
These recent criminal attempts in the Carse come in tandem with an extensive police investigation into a series of commercial garage thefts across Tayside.
Between June 4-21 over a dozen incidents – which police say are not directly linked to the aforementioned Carse theft attempts – have occurred across the Invergowrie and Kinross areas, as well as Dundee, Birkhill, Fowlis and Monifieth.
In each scenario suspects gained access to commercial garage premises, stole vehicle true keys from offices and then used them to steal customer vehicles.
The police believe that the stolen vehicles are then used for other crimes of dishonesty, including breaking into shops and domestic residences within Tayside.
DI Allan Thomson said: “These housebreakings have been very damaging for the businesses involved and extensive enquiries are underway to catch those responsible.
“Our enquiries are progressing and I would ask anyone who has seen or heard anything suspicious that might help with our investigation to get in touch as soon as possible.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all business owners to check that their crime prevention measures are in good working order including any intruder alarms or CCTV.
“Please also check that your premises are locked securely at close of business and customer keys are stored in a secure place.
“Should you wish to receive crime prevention advice for your premises – whether that be physical security, CCTV, secure key storage options or anything else related to keeping your premises safe – please contact us by email at taysidepreventionsandinterventions@scotland.police.uk”
