Category Archives: Police

Don’t gift wrap Christmas for criminals

“Don’t make it is easy for thieves this Christmas” is the message being given out by Dyfed Powys Police in the run up to the festive season.

Don’t gift wrap Christmas for criminals this year – they are your presents, protect them.

At this time of year people go shopping and sometimes leave what they have bought in full view on the back seats of their car while it is parked in a car park. Or they put wrapped presents underneath Christmas tree’s in their homes in full view of people walking past in the street, said Assistant Chief Constable Nick Ingram.

These are easy targets for thieves. They know that there are likely to be high value goods in the bags or all wrapped up – don’t make it easy for them.

Dyfed Powys is a safe area to live, but it is important not to get complacent.

Also it is important to remember to register your valuables. A few years ago we encouraged people to post mark their property. This is the twenty first century equivalent. You can go online to immobilise.com and register your valuables.

If the worst happens and you are burgled, and the police recover stolen items they will search the immobilise database and return the goods to the rightful owners.

To read this article in full please go to: The Tivyside Advertiser

Youngsters urged to register new mobile phones to avoid theft

Middlesbrough Police, in conjunction with the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership and Safe in Tees Valley, are publicising a pre-Christmas message to ensure that any new mobile phone is registered is registered on the Immobilise Property system.

It is recommending that any youngsters who receive a mobile phone for Christmas take the proactive step of registering the phones details on Immobilise.

Detective Chief Inspector Shane Sellers, of Middlesbrough Police, said:

Last year 835 mobile phones were reported stolen in the district.

Registering mobile phones on the www.immobilise.com website should have an impact in reducing this figure, particularly where phones have been stolen, as the phone can very quickly be blocked on the UK network, rendering it useless to the thief.

Please note that in addition to updating your phones’ status on Immobilise (which makes the details available for police searches in realtime), any person who has lost their phone or had it stolen should contact their network provider asap to have it blocked. For details of relevant Network numbers please go to: Reporting your phone as stolen in the UK

To read the original article go to: www.gazettelive.co.uk/news

Trafford Residents are urged by Police to register on Immobilise

The crime reduction advisor for Trafford is urging residents across Trafford to make their valuable less attractive to theives this Christmas by registering them on Immobilise.

PC Tony Crompton has said about the Immobilise Property Register:

Many items we recover from criminals are not given back to their owners as, without some proof of ownership, we do not know who they belong to.

Spending five minutes registering details of your Christmas gifts and other valued possessions for free on immobilise.com means that their details are instantly available to us and all other forces across the country.

If an item is stolen you can update your record to tell us, so if we or any other force find your MP3 player, watch or bike, we have proof it belongs to you.

To read the source article in full please go to: www.communitynewsgroup.co.uk

Police warning over security issues

The Ipswich Evening Star reported on Suffolk Police’s current campaign to remind to take crime prevention measures over the festive period to keep their valuables safe:

With stories every year about families having their Christmas presents stolen, the police have issued some simple measures to reduce the chances of this happening. These include not leaving shopping bags of presents in view in cars and not leaving presents, especially expensive ones, under the Christmas tree where they can be seen through a window.

People can register their valuable Christmas presents at an online database (www.immobilise.com). The serial number can be registered, which will help keep property safe and reunite stolen items with their rightful owners.

Inspector Ben Cook from the crime reduction department stresses the importance of being careful this Christmas.

He said: “Only place the packaging of gifts outside your property on the morning of your rubbish collection to avoid advertising what valuable items you have.”

“Residents should ensure they have some lights on timers during the darker evenings. Do not give thieves any opportunity to ruin Christmas.”

To read the full story please go to the Ipswich Evening Star Website

For thieves Christmas is a time for taking

For most of us Christmas is a time for giving, however as the West Midlands Police festive crime awareness campaign suggests, Christmas is also a time for taking.

Officers are launching a crime awareness initiative today (Wednesday 3 December) to put crime prevention awareness at the front of people’s minds as they prepare for the busy holiday season.

Robbery, shoplifting, vehicle crime, fraud and petty thefts traditionally rise at this time of year and people can easily fall prey to thieves as they may not be as security conscious as usual.

December’s dark nights give burglars plenty of cover to break into houses. Householders are reminded not to leave valuables and presents where they can be seen by passers by looking into the house.

The top five valuables burglars look for are:

  1. cash
  2. jewellery
  3. computers, including laptops and play stations
  4. credit and debit cards
  5. mobile phones

It is not just consumers that need to be more wary at this time of year, trades people are also urged to be wary and to proactively register items on immobilise.com:

Trades people are reminded to remove tools from their vans overnight, to postcode their equipment and register any tools with serial numbers at www.immobilise.com

The top five things stolen from vehicles are:

  1. auto accessories including hub caps, number plates and car badges
  2. audio items such as CDs
  3. car radios and CD players
  4. tools
  5. other on display items such as satellite navigation systems.

To read more please visit the West Midlands Police press site.

Croydon police Christmas theft warning

In the run up to Christmas Croydon police have issued a special warning for local residents to help them avoid being victims of crime over the festive period. In addition to registration on the Immobilise National property register many of the other suggestions made apply equally to other regions:

Some of their recommendations are:

While out shopping be aware of pickpockets and thieves, carry your handbag in front of you so sticky fingers can’t get into it.

When out and about Christmas shopping, leave carrier bags with gifts in secure and out of site in your car but make sure you stay vigilant, thieves may well watch car parks for a chance to break into them.

When at home make sure you wait until Christmas Day before putting presents around your tree, they can make a tempting display for a burglar.

Burglars like an easy life and it’s not just Christmas cards that come through your letterbox so fit a letterbox hood.

Burglars can force some sash windows, especially old ones without key operated locks. A good way to reduce the risk is by fixing a window box planter to the window ledge and fitting proper window locks.

Don’t highlight the fact that you have gifts and presents to criminals by openly displaying the empty packaging outside by your bins.

Registering your possessions on the immobilise website increases your chances of being reunited with them should they be lost or stolen and come to the notice of the police.

To read the Croydon Guardian article in full please go to: http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/…

Cheltenham Police Urge Students To Keep Their Accommodation Secure

Gloucestershire Constabulary make some sensible recommendations for students:

Cheltenham Police are reminding students to keep their accommodation secure. The warning comes after two student homes in the town were burgled last week.

Sergeant Mark Stephens from Whaddon Safer Community Team, who are responsible for policing issues at the Francis Close Hall, Hardwicke and Pitville campuses said: “Sadly student houses are an easy target for burglaries as with several people coming and going from the property they are easily left insecure.”

“If you add up the cost of everything you own, ipod, television, bike, laptop and mobile phone, you’ll probably be surprised at the amount it comes to.

“Along with the financial ramifications of losing these items it can also be very upsetting and devastating to your university work if any of your notes were stored on the stolen items.”

In addition to registering property on the Immobilise Property Register, Cheltenham police also make these sensible suggestions:

  1. A remarkable number of burglaries occur because a window or door has been left open, so make sure you keep them closed.
  2. Do not leave cash or valuables on display in your room and make sure valuable items cannot be seen from the window.
  3. During the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays take all items of value home with you.
  4. Make sure your property is insured.
  5. Get valuables security marked.

To see the orginal article in full go to: Space – University of Gloucestershire Students Union

South Wales Police recommend registration on Immobilise

The BBC News website has reported on a recent car crime spree in Cardiff. In addition to the usual anti theft messages South Wales Police also suggest that owners of the type of vehicles being targets should registered their radios on Immobilise to help identify thieves and return recovered property.

Ford Ka owners are being warned to be on their guard after a sharp rise in break-ins across Cardiff.

Thieves have broken into almost 90 cars since August and stolen their radios in the belief that they contain chips which can pick up free satellite TV.

Ch Insp Alun Morgan, who is responsible for auto crime in Cardiff, said: “I don’t wish to alarm car owners but as police we have a responsibility to make the public aware that Ford Kas are currently being targeted.

“My message to owners is to make sure their cars are secure, register their radio on the www.immobilise.com website and to be vigilant of anyone acting suspiciously.

To read the full BBC News Story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7755515.stm

Immobilise recommended by Knowsley bike safety campaign

Registration on Immobilise is one of the key messages from the Knowsley, Liverpool Bike Safety Campaign

Putting the brakes on bike theft is simple if you follow the advice below:-

  • Ride with your mates whenever possible, not alone.
  • Avoid taking short cuts and stay away from dark streets and alleyways.
  • Use a good bike lock which can loop through the wheels, frame or seats.
  • Record and register your bike – log onto www.immobilise.com.
  • Never leave your bike unlocked and unattended.
  • Keep your bike in a locked garage or shed when not in use.

If you think you are being offered a stolen bike, ring Merseyside Police on 0151 709 6010 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The Safer Knowsley Partnership includes Merseyside Police, Merseyside Police Authority, Knowsley Council, Knowsley Primary Care Trust, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and other partners, working with the community to reduce crime and disorder across Knowsley.

Read the full and original article.

The Serial Entrepreneur

For those of you who have heard about it, but wondered what CheckMEND is and how it came about I thought I would give you the low down on why and how it all began.

Me, founder of CheckMEND.com

Lost my phone!

In 2000 I lost my phone on the London Underground and went to the lost property office to try to find it. However, I was then faced with the task of providing a serial number or what we also know as the IMEI number. But in 2000 no one had really heard of what an IMEI number was let alone know their own!

Anyway after eventually finding my IMEI number and recovering my phone, I realised that all modern consumer electronic products have a unique serial number and that without them there was little way of distinguishing one item from another. Thus, I formed the idea that there was a need in the market for a pre-loss or theft registration service containing these serial numbers.

Previous career path

My career has always involved providing services to the consumer, back in 2000, at the age of 40; I sold my chain of restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, with the aim of taking early retirement and relaxing after a very full working life… until the idea for CheckMEND hit me.

I decided to start up a company called Recipero (latin meaning to retain or recover), with a view to building a company that provided a range of products and services based on the accumulation, organisation and analysis of information relating to personal property ownership, associated criminality, fraud and illegal trading.

The simple pre-loss registration database:

The starting point was with a simple pre-loss registration database, but it quickly became apparent that there was value in the analysis of the data and potential to provide HPI-type data for consumer electronics. This was reinforced at the time with the explosion of online auction sites and the willingness of people to buy and sell second-hand goods online. All at the same time as the huge increase in the theft of mobile phones and other mobile devices such as laptops, ipods and the like.
The next three years was spent populating the MEND data warehouse and building partnerships across the mobile industry, with the likes of Carphone Warehouse and mobile phone networks. The police forces were also a vital partner for me.
Eventually, the system grew and now contains billions of pieces of discrete information and is accessed over a million times a month by the mobile phone industry, all UK Police forces, major insurers, the second hand trade, recyclers and the public.
CheckMEND.com was launched in 2006 and the CheckMEND database is now used extensively by second hand trade and the public the most common use of CheckMEND by the general public is for when they are buying or selling items from online auction sites like ebay.

Taking it international:

I can now safely say the company is well established and we are starting to focus on business outside the UK. 2008 will see two new launches for CheckMEND.com. One in the US, which the Recipero and CheckMEND teams are extremely excited about, with the U.S. being the largest market for consumer electronics. Not only that, we have already begun the process of launching in Asia too.

Obviously the road to where we are today didn’t all run as smoothly as suggested above, many a challenge was faced and problem overcome, but this is the CheckMEND story… so far…

Have a look at the youtube video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zcm9VFNvuQ