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Wetherby & District Crime Prevention Panel
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Aberford, Alwoodley, Bardsey, Barwick in Elmet, Boston Spa, Bramham,
Clifford, Collingham, East Keswick, Linton, Moor Allerton, Moortown, Scarcroft, Seacroft,
Scholes, Shadwell, Thorner, Thorp Arch, Walton, Wetherby
The Wetherby & District Crime Panel is a voluntary group of people who work together with West Yorkshire Police in matters relating to crime prevention in the local community.
Membership of the Panel is drawn from individuals who live or work in the area together with representatives from Wetherby Town Council and most of the Parish Councils in the area.
Funding is provided by local businesses, Parish Councils and other various local sources.
Several new members have joined this year, either as Parish Councillors or as representatives for the Parish Councils. This representative would then report back to their Parish Council and, in turn, keep the panel informed as to what projects could be carried out or any assistance that could be given.
The most recent Newsletter is immediately below this intro;
relevant hints/advice from the previous Newsletter are here
Find out about CrimeStoppers
The Chairman, Wetherby & District Crime Prevention Panel
c/o West Yorkshire Police, Wetherby Police Station, Boston Road, Wetherby, LS22 5HA
Email : ifo@kalsom.com
Website: http://wetherbycrimepanel.wordpress.com
Crime Panel Newsletter
January 2012
Supported by West Yorkshire Police
Keep Your Keys Safe.
- A number of burglaries are committed simply to obtain car keys!
- The primary target is the car that is parked in the driveway.
- With modern cars being fitted with immobiliser as standard the days of 'hot wiring' a car to steal it are past. To take a modern car the thief needs the keys.
Firstly the majority of stolen cars are taken when parked on the street or in driveways so if you have a garage USE IT. You may have already told your insurance company you garage your car overnight? So, leaving your car on the driveway may cause insurance problems if stolen.
Always keep your car keys out of sight.
- Do not leave them on the Hall table or kitchen worktop. Keys can be 'hooked' through letter boxes and cat flaps using garden poles.
- Do not leave them hanging in the door lock with your house keys!
Take a few precautions to hide your car keys and garage your car overnight.
For further information please contact your local Crime Reduction Officer by dialling 101 and asking for a Crime Reduction Officer.
Report Minor Crime Online: Did you know you are now able to report a West Yorkshire crime online, request a callback or report lost property, all via the website http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk
The Wetherby & District Crime Prevention Panel are receiving requests to attend Community Events through 2012. If you would like us to attend your event please contact the Chairman on the details below.
The Panel is also available to give Crime Prevention talks to groups, small or large. Morning, afternoon or evenings. Again, please contact the Chairman to arrange a convenient time to suit your organisation.
Remember the 0845 number is now replaced with 1 0 1
Emergency - Immediate Police Attendance still use 9 9 9
See our web page for contact details. http://wetherbycrimepanel.wordpress.com
Kind Regards
Maureen Brewer
Chairman.
Crime Panel Newsletter - Extra!
January 2012
Supported by West Yorkshire Police
Regarding Metal Thefts.
http://news.angelbc-mail.com/LE35.aspx?MTA1MDoyNTM2OjQyNjU2!*!386845
This edition is sponsored by BT
Message from the Chair of National Neighbourhood Watch - Jim Maddan
With the support of BT who is one of the major victims of this type of crime, we are producing a special newsletter to remind members of the problems and what we can all do to reduce the opportunity for this crime and make sure that the criminals are caught.
Find out more - What is the scale of the problem?
Ecclesiastical Insurance who is the primary insurer of church buildings puts it like this:
- Metal theft is the fastest growing crime in the UK.
- The crime wave is prompted by high metal prices on the world markets and worldwide demand.
- The problem is the second priority, behind terrorism, of the British Transport Police and the rail network.
Metal theft is estimated to cost several hundred million pounds a year. Anglican churches have suffered significantly through this crime. Almost every area of the country has been affected by the crime. Metal theft does not affect church buildings alone – schools and heritage properties have similarly been victims of this crime, albeit to a lesser extent.
Find out more - BT's position
BT, along with the power companies EDF, E-on and Network Rail, are the primary victims of metal thefts in terms of financial impact and disruption to their services.
BT has produced a downloadable version of the Guide to this problem, as they see it specifically for Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch members, together with a useful Cable Identification guide. These are definitely worth looking at as they give details of things that you can look out for to protect against this crime, including more unusual signs that something is amiss, as well as information about how cables are security marked and the various types of cable used by BT and Openreach.
Lord Henley - Minister for Crime Prevention & Anti-Social Behaviour
NHWN has had a meeting with the new Minister for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour, Lord Henley, and he is fully aware of the problems and said:
"Metal theft is a serious and growing national problem which this Government is determined to tackle. We are seeing a range of sectors affected: from national infrastructure including power, transport and communication networks, to impact on communities, for example the theft and damage to church roofs and stealing road signs, drain covers and even war memorials."
Find out more - What are the industry and the police doing about it ?
The industry realises that they have to respond pro-actively because failure to do so will ultimately have a dramatic effect on their profitability.
They are all looking at their own procedures for the disposal of their own legitimate scrap metal. Their contractors must also follow these procedures.
Find out more - What can Neighbourhood Watch members do?
This is a matter for everybody in the community, but Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch can lead the way. Firstly, we all need to be alert to the situation and keep watch for vans and trucks driving around our streets looking for the opportunity to steal metal, and reporting the details to the local police or Crimestoppers (0800 555 111). No item of intelligence is ever too small; it might be the final piece of the jigsaw and in some cases there might even be the possibility of gaining a reward.
What else are Neighbourhood Watch and Home Watch doing about it?
NHWN is working closely with partners on a number of fronts to try to reduce the number of offences and drastically cut back on the opportunities for the criminals to realise their ill-gotten gains.
We have been invited to meetings with politicians, industry leaders and the police to gauge the size of the problem and identify some solutions.
Find out more - Key messages
- This is a problem that affects us all and can lead to deaths.
- Keep a watch out for suspicious vehicles and workmen.
- Pass all information to the police or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.
- Sign the online petition for a change in the legislation