Monthly Archives: March 2009

Crime, Immobilise, Police

As evenings get lighter and warmer police recommend simple measures to keep property safe

Now that the clocks have gone forward, police are urging people to keep their property safe. The as the weather gets warmers and the evenings lighter, criminals are known to take advantage of ready access that open doors and windows afford to them.

Suffolk police, as reported by the Lowestoft Journal, has suggested that there are a few simple measures which can protect people’s property.

Ben Cook the inspector for community safety in Suffolk, said:

It may be tempting to leave windows and doors open as it gets lighter and warmer, but this is an invitation for a burglar to take advantage of easy access to your home. Whether you are inside or outside in the garden, keep doors and windows secure so only you can get in and out.

The same applies to your garage or shed – once you’ve removed the lawnmower, tools or barbeque you’re using, lock it behind you. Never leave items of value unattended in your garden, and don’t leave them on display through a window either. Mesh or bars can be fixed on shed and garage windows to conceal your property and deter criminals from breaking in.

Keep vehicles in secure garages where available, or parked in an open, well lit area. Keep hedges and shrubs cut back and fences, gates and walls in good repair. Make sure items such as bicycles, ladders and motorised vehicles that can be locked, are locked. Lock smaller items in cabinets and always keep keys safe and out of sight. Houses, sheds and garages can also be alarmed.

Police also recommend the registration of valuables and possessions on the National Property Register at: www.immobilise.com.

To read the source article in full please go to: Lowestoft Journal

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police

£250K New Home Office funding to tackle mobile phone crime

The Home Office has recently announced that £250,000 of funding has been made available to help police more swiftly identify stolen mobile phones.

The scheme will see the Police National Computer (PNC) linked to the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) enabling frontline officers to quickly and easily check if a phone has been registered as stolen from its rightful owner.

Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell said:
By working closely with the mobile phone industry we have already put in place measures to make it harder for thieves to profit from mobile phone theft – around 90% of handsets reported stolen are now blocked within 24 hours of reporting reducing their value and the incentive for thieves.

Linking the National Mobile Phone Register to the Police National Computer will also provide enormous benefits to the fight against mobile phone crime. Currently an average of 25% of searches result in the police obtaining vital information that could result in property being retrieved and cases being solved. I believe that putting this invaluable tool at frontline officer’s fingertips will see that number rise further.

The NMPR (National Mobile Property Register) is the national police database of registered property ownership and stolen property records. It is linked to voluntary databases – such as Immobilise.com, where people can enter their phone’s details. So if the phone is lost or stolen police can identify it and return it to the rightful owner.

To read the offical Home Office press release go to: Home Office Press Release

To visit the National Mobile Phone Register (NMPR) go to: NMPR

To visit the NMPCU (National Mobile Phone Crime Unit) go to: NMPCU

Crime, Immobilise, Immobilize, Police

Police advise people to secure garden sheds

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The Leigh Journal has reported that POLICE are urging people to lock up sheds and garages to stop burglars using gardening equipment to break into homes.

They should also fit alarms and security lights.

The warning comes from PS Glynn Worley who said:

Thieves can easily use tools lying around to break into someone’s home.

The average shed or garage contains hundreds of pounds worth of equipment, and if they are insecure then offenders don’t even need to break into homes to steal valuables.

Police recommend that residents install shed alarms and security lights and security mark power tools, bikes and other valuable items with ultraviolet marker pens.

Items should be chained together using a high-security chain or cable and a good quality padlock, and the chain should be securely fastened to the wall or floor.

For even greater peace of mind, residents are urged to register valuable items on www.immobilise.com, free of charge.

To read the source article in full please go to: Leigh Journal

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Immobilize, ImmobiTag, Police

Police advise cyclists to register bike details

The Manchester Evening News has recently reported on the ongoing problem of bicycle crime. In Wythenshawe PC Steve Le Cheminant has reunited hundreds of owners with their stolen cycles, in the last six months alone, Pc Le Cheminant has seized 55 bikes and arrested 15 people for theft and handling stolen goods.

The 55-year-old officer has even personally returned bikes before they have been reported stolen, after tracking down their owners through manufacturers and retailers.

Pc Le Cheminant, who has served for 29 years, said:

It is very satisfying returning them to their owners, they can’t thank you enough.

Some will not even report them stolen because they don’t think they have a chance of seeing them again.

But police do take bike theft seriously. A lot of burglars and other criminals, especially the younger generation, use them as a way to get around.

Sometimes searches of the offenders’ properties lead to more stolen goods, drugs and weapons.

We can trace the bike owners through crime reports on the police computers, although some make it difficult by just describing say an expensive bike as ‘a blue one’.

Around 430,000 bikes are stolen in Britain each year, usually sold for anything from £10 to more than £300. Cyclists can combat bike theft by recording the serial number, taking pictures, locking them with robust device such as a D-shaped shackle, and registering them and other valuables on immobilise.com.

Of the 55 bikes seized recently in Wythenshawe, Pc Le Cheminant has managed to return 45 to their owners.

Sergeant Jane Butler said:

As the arrests of Pc Le Cheminant demonstrate, we have already had a huge success in retrieving stolen cycles and we hope to build on this.

Residents can assist the police by making sure they secure their bikes when they are leaving them, even for just a short time.

If a thief spots a chance to steal something and get away they will.

To read the source article in full please go to: Manchester Evening Post