Make security your top New Year's resolution

Buckinghamshire County Council are encouraging residents to beat the burglars in the New Year by property-marking valuable Christmas gifts.

New laptops, MP3 players, SatNavs, bicycles and other high value gifts are rich pickings for burglars, and there is typically a rise in burglary at this time. While many stolen items will be recovered, the Buckinghamshire Community Safety Partnership says that unless property is marked it is impossible to return it to its owners.

A limited number of free property marking kits will be available from district council offices and County Hall in Aylesbury during January. Kits include a UV pen for marking valuable items and a 'Property Marked' sticker. The marking is invisible to the naked eye but can be read under UV light, and displaying the sticker in your window will also help to deter thieves.

Valuable items can also be registered free and securely on the website of UK National Property Register. Police check the register whenever they recover stolen property.

Dave Hartin, Community Safety Coordinator at Buckinghamshire County Council said: "It takes just a few minutes to mark your property but it is well worth doing. I'd encourage everyone to make property marking their number one New Year's resolution. Thieves hate marked items because they are hard to sell on, but if they are recovered these items can be returned easily to their rightful owners."

To avoid making your home or car an easy target for thieves, always make sure that valuables are kept out of sight. You should also dispose of packaging sensibly to avoid advertising what's inside your property.