Category Archives: Crime

Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Police, Report My Loss

Police advise that defensive planting can deter thieves

Police in Avon and Somerset are helping residents combat crime by encouraging them to take up gardening! Gardens are often the first line of defence against crime as two-thirds of burglars gain entry to homes via the back of the property. There advice although aimed at local residents, is just as relevant wherever you live whether that be in town or county.

The summer months also see an increase in thefts from gardens and sheds as people bring out their garden furniture and equipment as the weather improves.

The value of property stored in gardens, sheds and garages is often much more than people realise and can soon add up. Power tools, plants, containers, hand tools, sports equipment, cycles and toys are among those items most frequently taken by garden thieves.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary suggest that using defensive planting and prickly bushes to enhance the security of boundaries, around drainpipes or beneath ground floor windows, making forced entry more difficult and less attractive to would be burglars, is a simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly crime prevention favourite.

Marking power tools with postcodes and house numbers is also effective. These details can then be placed on www.immobilise.com which can be used by members of the public and businesses to register their valued possessions or company assets. Alternatively, permanently mark them by scratching or painting this will also reduce their value to the thief.

Crime Reduction Officer Tony Alderman from Taunton said:

People can take very simple but effective crime reduction measures, which can have a dramatic effect on their property’s overall security.

Clever planting, padlocks on gates and sheds and motion sensor lights are inexpensive and effective. Garden tools are often used to assist the burglar breaking into a property – ladders, are particularly helpful to thieves for example, so keep them locked away.

To read the source article in full go to: Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Police

Bristol cyclists to benefit from police advice in National Bike Week

Bristol Police and the Safer Bristol Partnership are gearing up for National Bike Week from June 13 to 21 by organising a series of roadshows in the city to raise awareness of cycling security and to give advice on preventing bike theft.

AvonSomersetPolice_bikes1Avon and Somerset Police, in conjunction with Safer Bristol, will be at a number of locations in Bristol throughout National Bike Week (June 13 to 21) dishing out tips and advice, giving away copies of the ‘Spokes’ bike security leaflet, helping people register their bikes on the Immobilise Database and carrying out electronic tagging on bikes.

Bristol Police Constable Frank Simonds, who is involved in the roadshows, said:

Bristol is the UK’s first Cycling City, with many fantastic opportunities to get out and ride.

Our aim is to ensure the roads and cycle paths are a safe and secure place to be a cyclist, be it for leisure or commuting.

Emily Smith, Community Safety Officer with the Safer Bristol Partnership, added:

These events are proving really popular with cyclists helping them to keep their bikes and themselves safe. We have worked hard as a partnership to make the cycle paths in Bristol safe places to ride and we know how much people enjoy riding on them.

Police and community safety officers will be on hand to answer questions, distribute further advice and the ‘the Spokes’ leaflets as well as carry out electronic tagging of bikes on:

* June 17 from 7.30am to 9.30am at Bristol’s Bike & Walk Breakfast – College Green

* June 19 from 10am to 4pm at Stoke Road on Durdham Downs.

* June 21 from 9am to 6pm – Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride – Millennium Square

To cap off National Bike Week a team of PCSOs and Police Officers will also be mounting their bikes to take part in Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride, including PC Andy Stamp, who will be aboard a unicycle.

To read the source article in full go to: Avon and Somerset Police

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Police

Drive to halt rise in Cambridge cycle crime

Cambridge News Online has reported that there has been a massive increase in cycle theft since last year. The increase has prompted police to launch a new ‘Lock it or Lose it’ campaign.

The force has teamed up with Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Cycling City, Cambridge Cycling Campaign and the city’s CCTV operators to target cycle thieves and encourage cyclists to do more to protect their bikes.

The crime reduction partnership is pooling its resources to spread two simple messages:

  1. Lock your bike up properly, to a fixed object, using a good-quality lock
  2. Register your bike for free at immobilise.com the National Property Register

Sgt Gordon Morgenthaler said:

We are working together to publicise the ‘Lock it or Lose it’ message. Prevention is the ultimate aim, but we also want people to register their bikes on immobilise.com

It is a free national property register that means if your bike is recovered anywhere in the country we can get it back to you. It’s free and easy to use.

Starting with National Bike Week, which runs from June 13 to 21, there will be various events all over the country and Cambridge Police will be at locations around the city registering cycles and giving advice to the public.

Liz Bisset, director of community services at Cambridge City Council, said:

We need the public’s help to reduce bike crime.

Locking your bike securely is such a simple thing to do and hugely reduces the likelihood of a bike being stolen.

We want to get that message out loud and clear to all cyclists in the city.

To read the source article in full please go to: Cambridge News Online

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Police

Surge in city cycle thefts

The Norwich Evening News has reported that the Norwich has seen a surge in bike crime after 50 bikes were stolen in just a few weeks.

Although summer is traditionally a period which sees a rise in bike thefts, officers across Norwich have said the numbers are a sharp increase and want to warn cyclist to take more care.

Increased patrols have been carried out and nine people have been arrested so far, but officers are warning other bike owners to increase their cycle security.

Inspector Marie James, from the Mile Cross Safer Neighbourhood Team, said although some of the thefts are opportunist, there have been reports of people breaking into sheds and garages to steal the bikes.

She said:

It is a seasonal problem and now the nicer weather is here people are using bikes more.

People need to ensure their sheds are locked and secured as people have been going into sheds looking for bikes – there has been an emerging trend.

Many Safer Neighbourhood Teams are offering cyclists the chance to security mark bikes, and officers advise buying a good quality lock, using a lock to secure the bike-stand, wheel rim and frame together and suggest never leaving the vehicles unattended.

Police teams are also encouraging owners of precious or expensive items to register them on the Immobilise website.

To read the source article in full please go to: The Norwich Evening News

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Mobile Phones, NMPR, Police

Merseyside Police crack down on mobile phone and bike theft

The Formby Times has reported that Merseyside Police have been cracking down on youths who steal mobile phones and bikes.

Laura Jones of the Formby Times noted that since May 1 the operation has led to 44 arrests, 11 of those for robbery resulting in five people charged and six bailed.

Police officers have made 462 stop searches and 91 stop checks, while also checking up on 568 “vulnerable premises”.

During the operation 74 mobile phones have been checked against the Immobilise National Property Register which can help reunite victims of robbery with their phones.

The operation has already seen a decrease in crime in the targeted areas.

Along with more patrols and increased intelligence gathering the Police have been working with Secondary School pupils.

Chief Inspector Stuart Ellison said:

With the summer holidays coming arriving soon I want to give out a very strong but clear message, that the Police are cracking down on crime and disorder throughout Sefton and if you or have the intention of committing crime you be caught, arrested and prosecuted.

To read the source article in full please go to: Formby Times Online

CheckMEND, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Immobilise helps reduce mobile phone thefts

stolenmobilephonesThe Northamptionshire Evening Telegraph has reported that mobile phone theft rates have been steadily decreasing throughout the county thanks to forensic property marking schemes, encouraging people to use the security features on their phones and advising people to register their phones on www.immobilise.com.

However Crime prevention officer Paul Golley said people weren’t doing enough to protect themselves from thieves and against robbery:

We’d urge people not to show off their mobile phones or leave them unattended in public places like pubs and restaurants. People are advised not to use them while walking in public places as you are more prone to robbery.

We’d remind motorists not to leave phones in their cars and people should switch their phones to vibrate if they think their phone might bring them unwanted attention.

The number of mobile phone thefts in north Northamptonshire stood at 1,482 for the period 2006 to 2007. In the following year they dropped to 1,446 and the latest annual figure was 1,291.

To read the source article in full please go to: The Northamptionshire Evening Telegraph

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Greater Manchester Police issue sat nav warning

Greater Manchester Police have issued a warning to sat nav owners to help them avoid becoming the victim of crime.

Residents have been advised that a few simple steps can help keep their belongings safe from the thieves;

Crime Reduction Advisor, Jackie Bell said:

In many of these cases a satellite navigation system has been taken. Thieves are breaking into the cars to search the glove box and see whether any items of value have been left.

Leaving sat nav cradles and sucker marks on display is the biggest giveaway that there is something of value in the vehicle.

Our advice is simple, by removing any trace of the sat nav system such as the cradle and sucker marks from the window and by removing valuables or personal items from the vehicle you are less likely to become a victim of vehicle crime.

Drivers should also park their vehicle in a locked garage where possible or leave it in a well-lit area as close to their home as possible. Using a steering lock and securing alloy wheels with locking nuts are also good deterrents.

Other crime prevention tips include marking valuables with your postcode and vehicle registration number, and writing down the make, model and serial number of any items likely to tempt thieves. Drivers are also encouraged to register their valuable items on the Immobilise website (www.immobilise.com).

To report crime call police on 0161 872 5050 or for more information visit www.gmp.police.uk.

To read the source article in full please go to: Greater Manchester Police

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Police, Students

Tougher moves to fight bike thieves

Cambridge News Online has reported that a Cambridge College is improving cycle security after a marked increase in bike thefts throughout the city.

There was a 64 per cent increase in cycle thefts in March compared to the same month last year.

Some 264 bikes were stolen in Cambridge and surrounding villages, up from 161 in March last year.

That has prompted Cambridge Regional College (CRC) to take action against the thieves.

The move follows a report in the News about police reviving a crackdown on cycle crime.

Russ McPherson, CRC’s security student liaison manager, said:

We are fully committed to combating cycle crime and as such have only this week, as part of the new summer term, reminded students and staff that they can have their cycle coded by the security team at the college with a unique number provided in partnership with Cambridgeshire police and the Immobilise scheme.

We have tagged around 150 cycles in the last term and have helped owners register them on the http://www.immobilise.com website.

The scheme has helped to tackle the scourge of cycle theft.

Mr McPherson said:

Since the introduction of the tagging scheme last September we have had only three reports of stolen cycles from the King’s Hedges site, which helps to prove that tagging cycles is, while not foolproof, a very good deterrent to cycle theft and greatly aids recovery and return to the rightful owners.

To read the source article in full please go to: Cambridge News Online Website

CheckMEND, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Police target mobile phone stores in a crackdown on the sale of stolen goods

Emma Stone of the Coventry Telegraph has reported that police in Coventry are targeting mobile phone stores in the city in a crackdown on the sale of stolen goods.

Officers from Stoney Stanton Road police station, along with officers from Coventry City Council’s Trading Standards, have been carrying out spot checks at shops selling mobile phones and accessories.

Four mobile phone stores have been visited in the last week and two were found offering illegal handset unblocking services.

The stores were searched and seven stolen mobile phones were seized from the two city stores.

In addition to the stolen phones, trading standards officers also seized a large quantity of counterfeit phone accessories from one of the shops visited.

As part of the police operation, second-hand mobile phone stores are being asked to log details of the serial number, phone number and customer details of all handsets brought in for sale.

Shop owners are also being advised to check national database

will tell us if a phone has been stolen.

Anyone wising to carry and use phones which have been stolen are now much more likely to be caught.

Stores that do not check the validity of the phones they are selling will also be targeted by police and trading standards officers.

He added that further spot checks were planned throughout the city.

To read the source article please go to: Coventry Telegraph

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Eagle-eyed officers help cut car crime

Hunts Post have reported that POLICE officers peeping into parked cars in St Neots has helped reduce crime, according to the latest figures.

Officers look to see if any valuables have been left in the vehicle – such as satellite navigation systems and mobile phones – and then alert the owners.

Eagle-eyed police community support officers have been peeping in vehicles in St Neots and Eynesbury – cutting the number of thefts by more than a half.

Sector Inspector for St Neots, Mark Greenhalgh, told the Hunts Post, the Vehicle Alert Scheme has been extremely successful.

He said there were 15 vehicle-related crimes in the St Neots area in March 2008 compared to seven in March this year.

Vehicle crime in the town is down 25 per cent compared to last year. I put this decrease down to the vehicle alert scheme, which is about educating vehicle owners on how to avoid being a victim of crime.

The scheme is about warning motorists that this time they were lucky because it was us who saw these items on show. But next time it could be someone else. Thieves are opportunists and it’s about not giving them the opportunity.

The vehicle owners are sent a letter reminding them to remove all property and register any valuables at http://www.immobilise.com/ to help police identify it.

Inspector Greenhalgh added:

Police are doing everything they can to prevent theft from vehicles but motorists must play their part by removing tempting items from display.

To read the source article in full please go to: Hunts Post – Eagle-eyed officers help cut car crime in St Neots