Neighbourhood Watch Alerts

The three following reports have been issued by Neighbourhood Watch in recent days - August 5th 2009

420 Metres Of BT Cable Stolen - From Underground

Malvern Police are appealing for witnesses and information after 420 metres of 'active' BT cable - with a scrap value of £1,000 - was stolen from underground. The 'lead sheath/copper inner' cable was taken from near The Swan public house, Stocks Lane, Malvern overnight between Friday (31st July) and Saturday (1st August). "To remove this amount of cable would have required more than one person and - almost certainly - more than one vehicle, so there may have been a substantial amount of noticeable activity during the theft," said a police spokesman. "This theft is so brazen that it may have been carried out, albeit it at night, in view of some passers-by who may not have been aware that a crime was being committed." Officers want to hear from anyone who saw anything at all suspicious in or near Stocks Lane, such as unfamiliar vehicles or individuals - or even the cable being removed via one of two man-holes used during the crime. They are contactable on 0300 333 3000, quoting 152S/030809. Information can also be given - anonymously and free-of-charge - to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Concern for missing teenager

Police say they are concerned for the wellbeing of a 16-year-boy reported missing from Worcestershire. Ashley Shuck was last seen in the Abberley area on Tuesday 28 July and has not been since. He is described as white, 5ft 8inches tall, with an average build and short brown hair. He was wearing a green T-shirt, black tracksuit bottoms and a black hooded top when last seen. Police say they are concerned for his safety due to his age and the length of time he has been missing. He has family and friends in the Kidderminster area and police are urging anyone who has seen him here or elsewhere across the county to get in touch. Anyone with information on his current whereabouts is asked to call Kidderminster police on 0300 333 3000.

Remove Valuables From Your Car

Police Urge Again Police have again appealed to drivers to ensure they remove all valuables when leaving their vehicles unattended. The latest plea follows the theft of a £600 Toshiba laptop and a £170 'Tom-Tom' 'sat-nav' from a black Audi A3 in Hawthorn Rise, Tibberton, near Droitwich between 2030 hours on 3rd August and 0800 hours on 4th August. "Opportunist thieves will inevitably take full advantage of the situation when they find a vehicle containing high-value items such as laptops and 'sat-navs', in this instance, both" said a police spokesman. "We always urge drivers to never leave such valuables in a vehicle when it is left unattended. It takes a skilled thief only a short time to get into most vehicles and 'sat-navs' and laptops are, by their very nature, easily transportable." Anyone who saw anything suspicious in or near Hawthorn Rise between the given times, or who believes they are being offered one of the stolen items, is urged to contact police on 0300 333 3000, quoting 131S/040809. Information can also be given - anonymously and free-of-charge - to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

More pots stolen - Reported May 28th 2009

Blue ceramic pots stolen - Reported May 25th 2009

There appears to have been a theft of planted pots left outside the front of houses in Kemspey. These are blue 'enamelled' pots planted with small conifers etc. As such they are quite heavy and not easy to run away with. It is suspected that vans are drawing up at the houses in question checking to see no-one is in and then removing the pots into the back of the van. This could, of course, look to be normal activity not a theft. In which case we should perhaps warn the community to be vigilant and simply note the reg. no. of any vans parked on driveways just in case a theft occurs.

The reported thefts occured at 18 Squires Walk and 8 Napleton Lane. In both cases the police have been informed but it is difficult to see what they can reasonably do in such cases without any leads or information.

Urgent  Police  Request - April 8th 2009

Please note that following a serious incident in Upper Sapey this afternoon (sometime shortly before 1500hrs on 8th Apr), WE ARE URGENTLY REQUESTING ANY SIGHTINGS MADE OF WHITE MERCEDES SPRINTER VANS (reg of the van in question is unknown).

The van in the incident contained three males, 2x white males in their 20's and one Asian male. The occupants of this vehicle are dangerous AND NOT TO BE APPROACHED. Please make your members aware of this as soon as possible, requesting any sightings of this vehicle are made immediately and directly to the call centre, via the switchboard on 0300 333 3000, quoting ref 211-N-080409. Please reiterate to your members that this vehicle is NOT TO BE APPROACHED.

Secure Your Sheds - April 1st 2009

Local Police are urging residents to take sensible shed security advice after a number of thefts. With the clocks going forward people are more likely to spend more time in their gardens and unlock their sheds to access garden tools and furniture. "Sheds are not generally well designed from a security perspective but a number of measures can be taken to make theft more difficult for opportunist criminals."

Those steps include -

Fitting doors with a good quality, close-shackle padlock;

A grille or mesh should be fitted to windows;

Burglar alarms can be fitted;

Bicycles, power and garden tools, mowers and golf clubs should be secured to a strong anchor such as metal rings fixed to the shed's concrete floor.

Large items should be chained together;

All stored items should be property-marked, preferably using SmartWater - a liquid security marker more accurate than DNA.

Recent incidents in Malvern  include the theft of a yellow petrol hedge trimmer and a yellow, petrol chainsaw, both worth £300 each, a £60 Black and Decker hammer drill, a Flymo garden vacuum worth £30, a Black and Decker saw worth £20, a Black and Decker jigsaw worth £40 and other tools worth a total of £70.

Anyone who sees people behaving suspiciously in their area or anyone offered tools or garden equipment for sale under unusual circumstances should contact the police on 0300 333 3333. Information can be given anonymously and free-of-charge to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Distraction Burglaries - February 13th 2009 - download here

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