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FRIDAY 24th FEBRUARY 2012
POLICE TARGET CRIMINALS ON SUFFOLKS ROADS
On Monday 13 February, Fifty vehicles were stopped and checked during a multi-agency operation held in Suffolk, in a bid to deny criminals the use of the county’s roads.
The operation, conducted by Suffolk and Norfolk Roads Policing Unit (RPU), was held at the Rougham Lorry Park in Bury St Edmunds and ran from 7:30am to 2pm. Officers were supported by partner agencies such as VOSA, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) fuel testing and Smartwater, in targeting the A14 network and surrounding local roads.
A representative from Smartwater was on hand to check all vehicles and HMRC fuel testing dipped all vehicles’ tanks for unrebated fuel, with no offences detected.
For further information on this subject click on the following link: Police Target Criminals on Suffolk Roads
BIN A BLADE CAMPAIGN UPDATE AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF CARRYING A KNIFE
On 8 February in conjunction with Radio Suffolk, Suffolk Constabulary launched an innovative film that will be shown to young people across the county as part of Suffolk Police’s Bin a Blade campaign.
The film also features an interview with teenage anti-knife campaigner Holly Watson. Holly speaks about how the death of her brother Lewis, who was stabbed in Sudbury two years ago, affected her life, and her heartfelt messages to other young people who might be considering carrying a knife.
6125 knives were handed in during Suffolk’s initial, year-long Bin a Blade amnesty.
Permanent knife bins remain situated outside Ipswich, Mildenhall, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds Police Stations.
To see this video and for further details on this subject, click on the following link: Consequences of carrying a knife
SCAMS AND FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES
On a number of occasions within the county over this reporting period, a male, with an Indian accent, has telephoned home owners to state that they represent the Computer operating firm "Windows", and that they are aware the resident’s computer has been running slowly and needs fixing.
The caller has then stated they would fix the problem via remote access for a fee of either £160, £135 or £95.
A number of residents believing the caller was from a bona fide company have allowed permission for this male to remotely access their systems, only to find that their computers have subsequently stopped working and been hacked into.
Please warn computer users not to allow cold callers access to their computers, no matter what company they claim to be from.
Instead if you need assistance, call a recognised and trusted organisation, that you know will both properly and securely assist with the problem.
There have also been similar incidents reported to the police, where a female has called a home owner and then after making initial contact, has then handed over to an Indian sounding gentleman.
Also within the county over this reporting period, police have received complaints of email scams, where an offender has emailed a person, purporting to be that person's friend, emailing them with a generic sob story, stating that they have recently been robbed at knife point whilst on holiday in Spain and as a result have no money for the air fare home, asking for the sum of 1,700 Euros to be wired to them via a well known money transfer firm.
In one case a complainant forwarded such an amount, thinking they were sending it to their friend in order to help, only to find that they received a second email, again allegedly from that friend, requesting a further 2,000 euros for hospital fees
Please be vary wary of such scams, where fraudsters pretend to be known to a victim, often as the result of obtaining email access to a person’s stored email addresses, who then make up fictitious stories, in the hope that the person receiving the information will believe that it has originated from a friend or colleague, want to help and forward money to the offenders.
Again please do not transfer monies to another source, unless you are sure of whom the money is being sent to.
Another recent scam across Norfolk and Suffolk has been where a male caller has called people to state they are from the Ministry of Justice and that they can assist the recipient to reclaim up to £4,430 back in bank charges.The scam then comes into play when the caller asks the recipient to make a paypoint voucher debit to a certain account for £200, only for the caller to phone up on further occasions to state that the voucher payment never went through and could the recipient again make another voucher payment of £200. Needless to say the Ministry of Justice would not in reality assist with such matters.
So how can we try to avoid these scams and other types of fraudulent activity. If you would like to click on the following link: Office of Fair Trading site regarding general consumer information to the Office of Fair Trading, you can see details on the following subjects:
· The Sales of Goods Act
· Know your consumer rights
· Distance selling
· Stopping loan sharks
· Door stop selling
· Current scams
CRIMES OF NOTE WITHIN YOUR AREA
Acton
Burglary - On Melford Road, between 8.56pm on 16/02/12 and 5.55am on 17/02/12, an offender forced entry to a local business and removed a small number of household products. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PC Jon Gerrish at Sudbury Police Response, Sudbury Police station and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/422.
Bildeston
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Rotheram road, between 7.20pm and 7.45pm on 21/02/12, offenders entered an insecure Mitsubishi van and removed a number of power tools which had been left on display on the back seat. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: HD/12/301.
Bures St Mary
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - Within the area of the local nature reserve between 10.30am and 11.20am on 04/02/12, offenders approached a Renault Clio, left within the local car park, smashed the nearside passenger window and removed a black handbag which had been left on display. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/316.
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Great Green, between 4.30pm on 18/02/12 and 10.45am on 19/02/12 and 06/03/12, offenders approached a Mercedes Sprinter van, left parked on the street and removed the vehicle’s catalytic converter. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PCSO Hannah Partington from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/435.
Edwardstone
Burglary - On Sherbourne street, between 7pm on 21/02/12 and 7am on 22/02/12, offenders entered a residential garage and removed a quantity of scrap lead and a child’s plastic kitchen set. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PCSO Jamie Fudge from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/309.
Glemsford
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Fourth avenue, between 5pm and 7.30pm on 01/02/12, offenders approached a Ford Transit van, left parked on a residential driveway, forced the side door of the van and removed a number of power tools. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PCSO Alex Vinter from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/288.
Attempted Theft & Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Kings road, between 8pm on 01/02/12 and 7.30am on 02/03/12, offenders approached a Mercedes Sprinter van, left parked on the street and removed the nearside quarter light window, to pull the vehicle’s bonnet lever, in order to access the engine compartment and remove the vehicle’s complete exhaust system. However, whilst the offenders tampered with the exhaust and removed a number of securing bolts, it is believed that they were somehow disturbed and so fled, leaving the item still in place. On Schoolfield between 3pm on 10/02/12 and 10am on 11/02/12, a catalytic converter was stolen from a parked Ford Ranger. Calls in relation to these incidents should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/289 & 376.
Lavenham
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Harwood Place, between 5pm and 6.45pm on 15/02/12, offenders Vauxhall Combo van, left parked on the street, forced the vehicle doors and removed a number of power tools and CDs. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to the Crime Investigation Bureau (CIB) Martlesham Heath, Police HQ and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/404.
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Harwood Place, between 4.30pm and 9pm on 18/02/12, offenders approached a Mazda, left parked on the street and removed one of the rear wheels, leaving the wheel nuts for that tyre near by on the pavement. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/434.
Leavenheath
Burglary - On Old road, between 3pm and 9.20pm on 04/02/12, offenders forced entry to the rear of a local property and removed a small amount of jewellery and a number of high street gift vouchers. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: HD/12/199.
Lindsey
Attempted Burglary - Within Lindsey, between midday on 11/02/12 and 9am on 12/02/12, offenders attempted to gain access to a residential garage, by bending back one of the bottom door corners. No access was gained and nothing was stolen. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/235.
Long Melford
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Chadburn road, between 4pm and 23.59pm on 17/02/12, offenders forced the driver’s door of a Vauxhall van, left parked within a local parking bay, then rolled the vehicle forward, in order to access the rear doors. Forced the doors and removed a number of power tools. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to the Crime Investigation Bureau (CIB) Martlesham Heath, Police HQ and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/427.
Newton
Attempted Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Church road, between 11pm on 01/02/12 and 7am on 02/03/12, offenders approached a Mercedes Sprinter van, left parked on the street and removed the nearside quarter light window, then released the vehicle’s bonnet catch. However, nothing was stolen. It is believed that the offenders intended to steal the vehicle’s exhaust system, however, the vehicle had a security device placed over the exhaust and it is believed that as a result of this extra security, the offenders left empty handed. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PCSO Siobhan Hemmett at West Babergh Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/298.
It just goes to show you that extra security does work.
Burglary x2- On Church Road, at around 8pm on 04/02/12, an offender forced a ground floor window and entered a local property. The householder who had been upstairs at the time, heard the commotion and shouted out, at which point the offender fled. Again on Church road, between midday and 9pm, that same day, offenders forced a rear door and once inside searched around the property. In both cases it is believed nothing was stolen. Calls in relation to these incidents should be made to DC Ben Clark at Bury CID and quote: SU/12/332 & 333.
Preston St Mary
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On Croft Lea, between 19/02/12 and 20/02/12, offenders approached a VW Tiguan, left parked on the street and removed all four of the vehicle’s black and white allow wheel inserts. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to PCSO Siobhan Hemmett from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/443.
Stanstead
Theft Of Heating Oil - On Upper Street, between 9am on 07/02/12 and midday on 22/02/12, around 500 litres of heating oil was stolen from a residential oil tank. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/455.
Little Waldingfield
Theft From a Motor Vehicle - On The Street, between 03/02/12 and 06/03/12, offenders approached a Mercedes Sprinter van, left parked on the street and removed the vehicle’s catalytic converter. Calls in relation to this incident should be made to Sgt Kevin Horton from Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team and quote Crime Ref: SU/12/360.
ALCOHOL TEST PURCHASING RESULTS IN BABERGH
Results from an alcohol test purchasing operation held on Friday 10 February in Babergh were positive.Officers from Sudbury and Great Cornard Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and Trading Standards conducted the joint operation, in which 11 local shops and licensed premises in Sudbury and Great Cornard were tested.
All of the premises refused to serve underage volunteers with alcohol or tobacco, and all filled out the required refusals register.PC Jon Gerrish from Sudbury and Great Cornard SNT said: "It is excellent that we had 100% success in this operation, but we will continue to ensure that all premises in the Babergh district remain responsible and obey the law."We regularly conduct these joint operations and deal robustly with any premises that sell alcohol to underage individuals, with the help of Trading Standards."Councillor Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Protection said: "This is a positive result for Sudbury and Great Cornard, with local traders taking responsibility for challenging young people where necessary. Alongside the police, community safety teams and traders themselves, we will continue to work together to ensure the safety of Suffolk's young people.
CRIME REDUCTION ADVICE
In the Babergh West area over this reporting period there have been a number of burglaries and thefts of and from vehicles.
For advice on Home Security click on the following link: For further information on this subject click on the following link: Home Security Advice
For advice on alarm systems and the types available click on the following link: Details on Alarm systems
The link also provides further link details of the two main bodies that certifiy and inspect companies providing home security, business security and fire safety services, They are the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) and the Security Systems and Alarm Inspection Board (SSAIB)
For advice in particular on reducing the risk of burglaries click on the following link: Advice on reducing the risk of burglaries
For advice on reducing the risk of vehicle crime, click on the following link: a href =" http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/VehicleCrime/index.htm"> Crime reduction details for reducing car crime
Finally for Personal Safety Advice, click on the following link: Advice on Personal Safety
SHUTTING THE GATE ON RURAL CRIME
On 22 Feb 12, Suffolk Police officially announced it is teaming up with the local Ernest Doe branch at Marlesford to help get rural crime reduction messages out to communities – via a specially liveried tractor and a new booklet.The company have provided Suffolk Police with a Case IH tractor, free of charge, to assist police in raising the profile of steps that can be taken to prevent rural crime within the county.The liveried tractor, with blue flashing lights, will hopefully act as a hook to attract the attention of members of the public at trade shows, county fairs, farmers markets and rural events during 2012 – including the Suffolk Show.Police are also launching a new booklet ‘Shutting the gate on rural crime’ designed to give advice to land and home owners on measures that can be taken to protect property in rural locations.This includes advice on general security, as well as information on how to deter fly tipping, illegal off-roading, metal and diesel thefts, and details of conservation and wildlife legislation. The booklet also carries useful contact information.To look at the new police liveried tractor and for more information on the subject, you can click on the following link: Police liveried tractor and new booklet on general security
CONTACTING YOUR LOCAL SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM
To speak to an officer from your local SNT, because they may well be out on patrol, the easiest option is to telephone the new national telephone number which is just 101.
This new number is applicable to any force you might want to contact through out England and Wales and will always put you through to the nearest Police headquarters switchboard to where you are calling from.
Because the initial option on calling will give you the option of speaking to the nearest recognised police control room, for those that live near to any other county borders such as Essex, you are also given the option of a number of forces, for which once you have pressed the relevant number, you will then be immediately transferred to the Police HQ you required, you can then ask for the person you wanted to speak to, or you can ask to be put through to the Safer Neighbourhood Team for Babergh West
As an alternative you can email them directly through the following link:
Email: baberghwest.snt@suffolk.pnn.police.uk
For further information about Babergh West Safer Neighbourhood Team, which includes various facts such as details of Team Members, covering your area; Priorities; Campaigns and Meetings, please choose the following link. Babergh West
SAFE AND SOUND GROUP
Can I just remind anyone who is concerned about an elderly or vulnerable friend or relative of The Safe and Sound Group, a multi-agency partnership made up of Suffolk Police, Trading Standards, Age Concern, Suffolk ACRE, The Pension Service, District and Borough Councils, Social Care Services and related Suffolk County Council departments.
The group’s remit is 'Keeping people feeling safe and confident in their homes'.
Safe and Sound receives funding from various partner agencies to help finance projects and campaigns to reduce crime and fear of crime that may affect older and/or vulnerable members of Suffolk communities.
Bogus callers and rogue traders pretend to be trades people or sales people offering goods or services. They will try to deceive the older and more vulnerable members of our communities into paying for work they may not actually do or which is not completed to an acceptable standard.
There are relatively few reported instances that involve bogus callers or rogue traders, but the emotional effect on the victim, their relatives, friends and neighbours cannot be underestimated.
For further details you can click on the following link: Safe & Sound Group to assist elderly and vulnerable people
By clicking on this link you can go to further links which are situated on the right of the page to:
· Homeshield
· Trading Standards
· Age Concern
· Suffolk Acre
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
This newsletter is produced regularly by:
Phil Kemp - COMMUNITY WATCH & SNT LIAISON OFFICER
Tel: 101 and ask for extension 3388 or Phil Kemp
Email: phil.kemp@suffolk.pnn.police.uk
If you wish to unsubscribe from this email newsletter, simply go to http://suffolk.testurl.co.uk/neighbourhoodwatch/ and log in. Then click My Subscriptions and remove the relevant newsletter(s).
If you have details about any crimes, then please contact your local Police Station, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
