Tag Archives: Christmas

Crime, Immobilise, Police

Tameside Police work to cut burglaries in the run-up to Christmas

The Tameside Advertiser has reported that their local Police force will be out on the streets this week as they continue their campaign to reduce burglaries in the run-up to Christmas.

They stated that the initiative known as “Operation Storm” was launched earlier this year in response to a 10 per cent rise in burglaries across Greater Manchester. Since July Police have slashed the number of burglaries in the borough by 65, compared to the same period last year, and have pledged to carry on with help from the public.

Dedicated teams of officers will be sent out to arrest suspects, visit known offenders and reassure victims of burglary. They will be patrolling the streets handing out crime prevention advice in hotspot areas and promoting the www.immobilise.com where residents can register their valuables online to make it easier for police to identify them if stolen.

Chief Insp Ged O’Connor, of Tameside police, said:

The level of assistance residents have shown the police in tackling burglary is to be commended. The community will not support criminality and there is no hiding place for those people who choose to break the law. Storm sends a clear message to would-be thieves that the police are working around the clock to prevent crime and bring those people who choose to commit offences to justice.

To read the souce article in full please go to: Tameside Adverstiser: No hiding place for thieves as residents back purge

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, ImmobiTag, Police

Mark your bike if you want it back

Lucy Richards of the Basingstoke Gazette has highlighted the problem of police forces being unable to return recovered property to their owners.

Cyclists should help to combat crime by marking their bikes and recording the details.

The crimefighting call comes from PC Ian Castle, of Basingstoke police, who says many cyclists will need reminding after getting new bikes for Christmas.

He also stresses that if a bike is stolen, the owner should always inform the police because officers recover many which are never reunited with their owners.

The Winklebury beat officer said:

Lots of bikes that have been lost or stolen are found and recovered by police, but people don’t always report them stolen because they don’t think we will ever find them.

A lot of people don’t make a note of their serial number either, which makes it hard to identify the bike from others.

The serial number is usually found beneath the bottom bracket. Anyone unable to find it, should get the shop to record it on the invoice.

PC Castle said:

With the serial number, it is easier to catch the offenders and return the property and we do stop a lot of people on bikes. But unless we can identify a stolen bike, we can’t challenge someone.

Anyone wanting more information can contact PC Castle, at Basingstoke police station, on 0845 045 4545, or e-mail ian.castle@hampshire.pnn.police.uk. You can also register your bike’s details online at www.immobilise.com.

To read the source article in full please go to: Basingstoke Gazette

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

York pupils secure their iPods

Nicola Fifield of The York Press has reported that valuable iPods and mobile phones owned by pupils at York schools are now more secure after being registered on Immobilise.Many pupils recorded their mobile phones and iPods on the database, and serveral more teenagers have ordered cycle tags for their bicycles.

If these belongings are subsequently stolen and recovered by police, the database allows police to track down their owners.

PCSO Louisa Warburton said:

The response from the children was great and we’re hoping that they will also take home the leaflets we gave them so that their parents can learn about the Immobilise website too.

It would be great if families could register all their expensive gear on the database because it is such a useful tool for us in helping to recover property that has been lost or stolen.

To read the source article in full please go to: The York Press

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

BBC reports ‘Stolen goods’ fear in downturn

The BBC News website has reported that the economic downturn may tempt people to risk buying stolen goods.

Gwent Police said it had noticed a rise in thefts from cars in the run-up to Christmas and was concerned people may be led into making dodgy purchases.

The force is urging people to register valuables on a website so items stolen could be returned to them more easily.

It is also targeting car criminals with more patrols, “capture cars” and number plate recognition camera equipment.

Community Safety Inspector Terry Davies said:

We are concerned that the credit crunch may be leading more people to risk buying dodgy goods which could have been stolen, to save money.

Our guess is that with the type of stuff being stolen, there may be more people inclined to buy cheaper goods and perhaps ask less questions than before.

We know that lot of sat nav sytems are being stolen. They are becoming almost a necessary item to own.

What we feel is that because so many items of this type of property is being stolen, there must be more than usual market for them.

He added stolen goods were much easier to return to their owners if they had been registered on www.immobilise.com, a property register used by all the UK’s police forces.

To read the source article in full please go to the BBC News website

CheckMEND, Crime, eBay, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Gwent Police launch high-tech war on thieves

The South Wales Argus has reported that vehicle thieves and shoplifters in Gwent are being targeted by police.

Extra officers are being used this week to capture cars and use specialist number plate recognition equipment to find stolen goods and return them to their rightful owners.

Detective Inspector Peter Jones, who is leading the operation, said

This is a response to the increase in thefts from vehicles during the run-up to Christmas … We know that thieves are stealing number plates, sat navs, audio equipment like CD players and mobile phones. We also know they are selling them on and are working with second hand shops to stop that.

People can register their valuables on the specially designed Immobilise.com website so their goods can be returned if stolen.

Officers from the community safety team will also be out in January showing shoppers how to register their valuables.

Inspector Terry Davies from the team said:

We are concerned that the credit crunch may be leading more people to risk buying dodgy goods which could have been stolen, to save money.

To view the source article in full please go to: South Wales Argus Newsdesk

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Pupils warned not to flaunt new gifts

Greater Manchester Police are urging pupils across Wigan and Leigh to keep new gadgets like mobile phones and MP3 players out of sight to avoid becoming a victim of street crime.

Local police will be delivering crime prevention messages to high schools in the borough over the coming weeks to warn pupils to leave their new Christmas presents at home or risk losing them.

January is a peak time for street robberies as people step out with valuable new Christmas presents, and young people aged 14-17 are the most likely victims according to police statistics.

Last January, there were over 15 reported crimes of street robbery throughout the Wigan borough.

Top of the shopping list for thieves are mobile phones, with figures showing they are stolen in half of all street robberies.

Wendy O’Neil, Crime Reduction Advisor for Wigan division, said:

We are urging children and young people to leave their valuables at home or hide them when they are on the bus, waiting at the bus stop, on the street or even at school.  Most robberies are opportunistic, so by keeping valuables out of view you can reduce your risk of becoming a target. While most people are out hunting for bargains in the sales, criminals may be on a spree of a different kind, especially in busy high street areas.

Police are issuing the following safety tips to pupils:

  • Leave your valuable items at home, or at least out of sight. Don’t show off your favourite Christmas presents on the bus, in the street or in other public places.
  • If you need to make a mobile phone call, go into a shop or café rather than phone or text on the street or on public transport. Don’t talk or text and walk!
  • If you have your phone in your pocket or bag, turn off the ringer so that you don’t advertise where it is being carried.
  • Use pin codes to lock your phone and register it at http://www.immobilise.com
  • Don’t bring large amounts of money to school. Only bring what you will spend that day – for example, just enough money for your lunch.
  • Keep to well-lit roads and public areas. Don’t use alleys or short-cuts.
  • Stay alert. Turn off your personal stereos – they stop you being aware of what’s going on around you.
  • If you think you are being followed, cross the road. If the person follows you, cross it again. If you are still worried, go at once to a place where there are lots of people, such as a busy shop, and tell someone what’s going on. If you can, speak to a police officer. If not, go to a family group rather than a single adult and tell them.

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

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Bicycles, Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Bridgwater Police initiative hailed a success

The Bridgwater Mercury has reported that a local police initiative aimed at making people aware of the need to keep their personal possessions safe during the Christmas period has been hailed a success.

As part of Operation Relentless, police officers and PCSOs took to the streets with a range of personal safety initiatives.

More than 100 people visited an information stand set up by police in Angel Place that offered people advice on how to register the valuable possessions they may receive this Christmas, such as iPods, mobile phones, laptops and games consoles on a national database.

PCSOs were showing interested people how to navigate the Immobilise website, a Government-backed database that records the serial numbers of any possession in your home in an attempt to cut crime and make it easier for police to retrieve stolen items.

A number of PCSOs also took to car parks around the town to check if drivers were leaving personal belongings and even presents on the back seats of their vehicles as part of a vulnerable vehicle scheme.

PC Andy Jenrick said:

Operation Relentless was a brilliant day and we have managed to promote the Immobiliser website in mobile phone shops, jewellers and even the bigger electrical stores such as Currys and Comet.

More than 100 people came to make enquiries about how to register their personal items in Angel Place and the vulnerable vehicle scheme was also successful, with PCSOs finding between 80 to 100 potential targets of crime.

To read the source story in full please go to: Bridgewater Mercury

Crime, Immobilise, Police

Warning on New Year burglaries

This is Lancashire has reported that police in Leigh are warning residents to take extra care in making their homes secure, to stop them falling victim to burglars targeting empty homes on New Year’s Eve.

Burglars take advantage of people letting their guard down in the festive season and victims can return home from partying in the small hours to find that they have been burgled.

Police are advising people to make sure all external doors and windows are locked and burglar alarms activated and to use lights, radios and timer switches to make your house look occupied.

People can also register valuables online through a free national database called www.immobilise.com.

The database is accessible to all UK police forces who use it to return lost and stolen possessions to their rightful owners.

Crime reduction advisor Lisa Morgan said:

Burglars expect people to be more relaxed and less cautious during the holiday season and take advantage of homes being unoccupied as people see in the New Year with friends and family.

We will be visiting prolific offenders to warn them that we will be keeping a close eye on them, and increasing our high-profile and covert patrols in hotspot areas.

To read the source article please go to: This is Lancashire

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Cops advise on prized prezzies

Police in Lancashire are advising people to register or property mark valuable gifts they receive this Christmas so they can be returned if lost or stolen.

Flat screen TVs, MP3 players, Sat-Navs, laptops and mobile phones all feature on letters to Santa this Christmas. Unfortunately they are also top of the most wanted lists of burglars, robbers and thieves,

said a force spokesman.

On www.immobilise.com owners can register details of lost prized possessions on a database. Police can then access this and check against items found or recovered from suspected criminals.

The online service is free, quick and easy to use.

Police say items marked as registered with Immobilise are less likely to be stolen and households displaying stickers less likely to be targeted by burglars.

To view the source story in full go to: Lancashire Evening Post

Crime, Immobilise, Mobile Phones, Police

Mobile alert over phone presents

The Teeside Gazette Live, has reported that youngsters who receive a mobile phone this Christmas should take steps to foil potential thieves.

Middlesbrough Police, in conjunction with the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership and Safe in Tees Valley, are putting out a pre-Christmas message to encourage all owners of new mobile phones are registered with the website www.immobilise.com, which can store unique details of personal mobile phones, such as serial numbers.

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.

Safe in Tees Valley will be taking the message into schools and colleges to promote the message to the customers who are often most affected by mobile thefts.

To read the source story in full go to: Gazette Live