By community correspondent Rebecca McGoran

Ordinary members of the public team up with the police and local authorities to reduce crime and disorder. They do this under the banner of Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Sutton has a very active Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

One of the street representatives in the North Sutton area told me that during the past six months, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of sheds and garages being broken into. Sometimes they use the tools from sheds to try and gain entry into houses. Local residents should take extra care in ensuring their sheds and garages are secure. Smartwater pens are recommended by the police for marking valuable items. They put an invisible code on to the goods, which show up under UV light. This enables police to return quite a lot of stolen goods. For example, they recently found a shed full of watches, but because the watches were not marked, they had no idea who the watches belonged to, and it took months to trace some of the owners. One resident said: "I think it's a very good idea. If you have lost anything precious there's a possibility it could be traced.”