KEEPING one step ahead of thieves is not an easy task. Week by week, those who want to burgle our homes or break into our cars think of ever more sophisticated ways of achieving their criminal ends.

We put complex alarms on our cars and fit special locks on doors and windows to turn homes into veritable fortresses.

The exterior walls of many of our properties are even equipped with special sensors to pick up the presence of any prowlers and flood gardens with light. But it seems not even all these precautions will protect us from determined crooks.

It used to be only famous people who had their rubbish bins rifled by unscrupulous snoopers.

Now police are giving away shredders to some Blackburn householders so they can destroy personal documents and thwart attempts to steal identities and credit card details.

The donation of 27 shredders comes after two men were seen sifting through bins in the area.

It's great that police are so proactive in encouraging us to keep one step ahead of villains by taking precautions to avoid becoming victims of crime. But how much better if they had caught the crooks in the act.