Hello all.
This is our latest weekly report and prompt to see if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns for the Alcester Police North SNT. Thank you to those that have contacted the Team this week. If you would like to be removed from this local email circulation list, please let me know asap.
For operational and privacy reasons not all the incidents that occur on the Alcester area are listed in this report. Please remember to report any suspicious activity or crimes to us as soon as possible – this can be done via the 101 and 999 telephone numbers or if not an emergency via our online reporting forms that can be found on our website.
Incidents of a public interest from the last week:-
HENLEY
• *Vehicle Crime – Theft from. High Hurst, Henley. Secure vehicle entered by unknown means and various items stolen including cash and a holdall containing a driving licence. Between 9pm 10th & 5am 11th October. 0089 11/10/2020
• *Burglary – Shed. Glenhurst Road, Henley. Garden shed broken into and two pedal cycles stolen. Black Hybrid with pannier rack & Black Cyclo cross bike. Between September 2019 and April 2020. 0302 10/10/2020
• *Suspicious Circumstances. School Road, Henley. Person with torch seen in rear garden of house. Area searched by police. No offences disclosed. Midnight 6th/7th October. 0002 07/10/2020
PRESTON BAGOT
• *Burglary – Containers. Preston Bagot. Two containers near to building site broken into various items stolen including tools and a tile bumper. Overnight 5th & 6th October. 0127 06/10/2020
• *Vehicle Crime – Theft from. Preston Bagot. Front and rear number plates stolen from vehicle. Overnight 5th & 6th October. 0069 06/10/2020
WOOTTON WAWEN
• *Vehicle Crime – Damage. Salters Lane, Wootton Wawen. Windows smashed on vehicle. Nothing stolen. Between 5.30pm and 6.30pm Monday 5th October. 0397 05/10/2020
TANWORTH
• *Burglary – Shed. Broad Lane, Tanworth. Shed broken into and two motor mowers stolen. Petrol Green coloured Hayter 41 & Petrol Atco Rotary. Between 6th & 9th October. 0376 09/10/2020
• *Vehicle Crime – Theft from. Aspley Heath Lane, Tanworth. Front and rear number plates stolen from vehicle. Between 4th & 5th October. 0088 05/10/2020
ULLENHALL
• *Suspicious Circumstances. Henley Road, Ullenhall. Silver Skoda seen on several private driveways. The drivers reason for being there changed a couple of times. While reversing off one of the drives the vehicle ran into and damaged a set of gates. Details passed to police. 1pm Friday 9th October. 0189 09/10/2020
Is your vehicle attracting thieves? Don’t let thieves get an easy ride. Follow these simple rules to protect your car.
1. Lock your vehicle – Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open. Remove all valuables, especially those that can be seen from outside the vehicle. It is actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather. If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.
2. Keep the keys safe – Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox. When not in use, keep your electronic car key in a security pouch to prevent it being scanned by thieves to open and steal your car nearby.
3. Be aware of carjackers – The fact that you’re in the car isn’t always a deterrent to someone trying to steal it. In traffic, drive with the doors locked and when queuing leave enough space in front of your vehicle to enable you to get out of a tight spot. If your vehicle is bumped from behind, wait to pull over – somewhere safe and preferably where there are people. After all, you don’t know the person who has collided with you; they could well be hijackers. If you’re at all suspicious, consider calling the police. If someone threatens you, it’s better to hand over the keys to the vehicle than become a victim of assault. Then call 999 as soon as possible, and ask for the police. If your car is stolen, some modern vehicle alarm and tracker systems have the facility to isolate or shut down fuel systems, bringing the vehicle to a halt and leaving the thief high and dry.
4. Park responsibly – It’s always advisable to avoid parking in dark and secluded areas. It’s worth an extra five or ten-minute walk if it means your vehicle is left in a well-lit and busier street. And if possible, always try to park in illuminated and staffed car parks or those with a Park Mark safer parking award. To find one, simply check out Park Mark.
5. Watch for illegal tow trucks – Thieves often attempt to lift vehicles from the street, literally. So, if you see a tow away crew acting suspiciously – especially if their vehicle isn’t branded or if they’re not in uniform – then please report it immediately. As with every report of suspicious behaviour made in good faith, we’ll never blame anyone for calling us if it proves unfounded. Car parks with height-restricted entrances help prevent illegal tow trucks and removal vehicles. And fitting a Thatcham rated category 1 or 2 alarm system with tracking, immobilisation, anti-grab and movement sensors can help protect and trace your vehicle.
6. Fit good in-car security locks – Bear in mind that built-in steering locks aren’t necessarily thief-proof. Many can be forced and broken. Fitting a Sold Secure steering wheel, gear lever or clutch pedal security device can give your vehicle added protection.
7. Double-check electronic locking – Electronic devices can be used to jam the electronic signal from your key fob to lock your vehicle. Always manually check your vehicle has locked before walking away. If unsure, lock it manually, then scan the immediate area for anyone hanging around. If a potential thief who’s watching feels they’ve been spotted, they’ll probably move off.
8. Before you buy, check for cloning – Changing the identity of a vehicle, known as vehicle cloning, can be as simple as adding stolen number plates. When buying a vehicle, always check the DVLA V5 document and make sure the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the vehicle is the same as on the document. Make sure you check more than one of the VINs as well as the engine numbers on the vehicle. Check a used vehicle you’re buying.
9. Secure your port – Many modern vehicles are fitted with engine management diagnostic ports, which can be accessed without the thief needing to open the vehicle doors, boot or bonnet, but which can unlock and start your vehicle. If your vehicle has this type of port, consider fitting a lockable cover.
10. Be aware of test drive thieves – Test drive thefts are where a thief answers an advert for a vehicle sale pretending to be a genuine buyer. When they meet the vendor they ask for a test drive and never return with the vehicle. Take steps to avoid this by going with the prospective buyer on any test drive and don’t leave anyone alone with the vehicle and its keys. Ask any potential buyer for contact details and to see their driving licence and insurance. Never leave the vehicle keys in the ignition – keep hold of them.
11. Secure your number plates with anti-theft screws combined with strong sticky pads. If replacing a stolen set of plates, consider a different design to distinguish from the stolen ones.
Shed and garage security – People don’t often secure their shed or garage in the same way they do their homes. People often end up using a flimsy lock or padlock to protect the contents. Burglars know sheds are a weak point when it comes to security and often see them as easy targets. Most common items stolen from your shed or garage are Bikes, Mowers, Garden tools and Power tools
Shed security
• Make sure that your shed door, door frame and walls are solid.
• Replace any damaged or rotten areas with new sections.
• Try to place the shed door facing your house and not too close to a perimeter wall or gate.
• Consider keeping valuable items in a strong lockable box or cage.
• Fit two closed shackle padlocks on strong padlock hasps – one a third of the way up from the bottom of the door and one a third of the way down from the top of the door.
• Fit wire mesh or bars on the inside of your window frames.
• Wrap a strong chain around and through the handles of garden tools, lawn mowers, cycles etc and secure the chain to the wall using a padlock or a ground anchor fixed to the base of the shed.
• Consider integrating your shed into your home alarm system, especially if you have valuable items in it. Use door contact sensors and check your glass is secure before installing break glass sensors.
• Illuminate the area around your shed using dusk till dawn lighting.
Garage security
• If you have a household alarm fitted, consider extending the system into the garage area. Alarm systems that can alert you of movement in real time is highly recommended.
• Fit a garage door blocker on the outside of the door. This product bolts permanently to the floor, has a large ‘T’ bar shaped restrictor and a quality locking device.
• Consider fitting a pair of garage door locks that are fitted either vertically or horizontally and can be locked either from the inside or outside of the garage.
• Install dead bolts mounted one on each edge of the door inside the garage. When in use, the locks throw a bolt into the doorframe or the concrete floor of the garage.
• Various good quality ‘up and over’ or ‘rolling’ deadlocking door handles can be purchased to replace any existing poor quality locks to give better security.
• Consider purchasing loop cables. These have a long braided steel cable and a two-bolt anchor locking point. These fix to garage walls or floors and can be passed through expensive property such as quad bikes, etc. Some cables are alarmed.
If you have any questions regarding the above please contact us on the details below or via the Warwickshire Police website. If you would like to be removed from the Teams email circulation list – please let us know.
Regards.
ALCESTER POLICE NORTH SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM
Team email – Alcesternorth.snt@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
SGT 1284 Angus Eagles angus.eagles@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
PC 427 Sue Blundell – Sue.blundell@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
PCSO 6273 Aadila Hussain – Aadila.hussain@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
PCSO 6330 Sanjay Singh – sanjay.singh@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
PCSO 6350 Taylor Brooke taylor.brooke@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk
PCSO 6336 Mark Lucas mark.lucas@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk (Covers both North & South areas)
Alcester Police Office Phone Number – 01789 444816 (not to be used for emergencies or priority calls. Always report incidents on 101). Online reporting services are also available on our website – https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/
Twitter – @AlcesterCops
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Instagram – southwarwickshiresnts
Website – https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/
We do not monitor our social media pages, so please do not use them to report incidents or to pass on important information. Please call us on 101, 999 or use the online reporting forms as required.