HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2002. I would also like to say that although there is a lot of speculation in the media about Police reforms there is one thing that will not change. That is, it is still our intention and desire to catch criminals and make this part of the country as safe and pleasant a place to live in as possible.

NEW TISBURY BEAT OFFICER.

On the 14th of January WPC Lucy DEAKIN joins the Section from Salisbury. She will be assisting Mark LITTLEWOOD on the Tisbury village Beat. She is a welcome additional officer and not a replacement.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH SCHEMES - ARE YOU IN?

In Wiltshire we have a very high proportion of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes. However, we are always trying to encourage more schemes to get up and running. Are you in a scheme? If not, do you want to be in a scheme?
The following statement on adequately sums up the importance of neighbourhood Watch Schemes.
"Neighbourhood Watch is one of the biggest and most successful crime prevention initiatives ever. Behind it lies a simple idea, and a central value shared by millions of people around the country:
Getting together with your neighbours to take action can cut local crime."
It's what we should all be doing anyway in a civilised society (well the vast majority of us are civilised!). Calling it Neighbourhood Watch just gives it a name and allows us to monitor how effective it is. If you want to be in a scheme or start one up either contact me here at Tisbury or ring Barry Strange (Neighbourhood Watch Liaison) at Salisbury Police Station on 01722-411444. It makes sense to work together.

HEROIN - IT AFFECTS US ALL.

We are increasingly coming across Heroin addicts in the course of our duty. From what I've seen a typical Heroin addict will use every way in their power to raise money for the drug. They will lose their job and will sell everything they have. They will then start borrowing money from their friends and relatives. This of course will never be paid back and eventually once they have started stealing from those same friends and relatives they will become ostracised. They will only have other addicts for friends and will start to steal from everyone else. That is when the rest of us come in because we are 'everyone else'. It is difficult to say how much of our reported crime is attributable to Heroin addicts but my guess is that a large proportion of it is down to drug addicts of some kind. Heroin is cheap and easy to obtain. A 'bag' (enough for one 'hit') costs only £10 but an addict may require several 'hits' a day, and that is every single day. Usually an addict will require more and more of the drug to satisfy the craving. A typical addict may require 5 'hits' a day. That's £50 a day or £350 a week that must be found. That's over £18,000 a year!!!!! Stealing becomes a daily occurrence. It's affect on us is threefold, not only do we have the crime and the fear of crime to worry about but we also have increased insurance premiums to contend with.

Now I am not trying to scaremonger or incite ill feelings towards drug addicts, I am merely trying to explain the reasons behind some crime. Having said that addicts do have to take responsibility for their own actions. Without doubt all drug addicts need help and whilst there are drug dealers out there enticing people onto the drugs in the first place the problem will not get any better. If you have any information at all about suspected drug dealing in this area please contact PC John Bispham the Intelligence officer at Tisbury or ring CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 (This way you can give information completely anonymously).

Act now, don't let drug dealers ruin more lives.

DOOR NAMEPLATES.

It is time for my annual plea to all of you out there who don't like to advertise what your house is called or what number it is. The Police, Ambulance Service and Fire Brigade are frequently sent to answer emergency calls at addresses that are not familiar to us. If it is dark and raining and the middle of the night it can be very difficult to find houses with nameplates or numbers on the door. Finding an unidentified house can be very time consuming and could cost someone his or her life in extreme circumstances. So if you are out there living in anonymity please consider the following: If you were to call one or all of the emergency services are you confident that we would be able to find you? If the answer is yes then fine, sorry to trouble you. If, however, the answer is no, then please consider a nice sign or number as an addition to the exterior of your house preferably where we can see it. Thanks.

REPORTED CRIME
TISBURY & MERE SECTION - DECEMBER 2001

CHICKLADE 31st ~ Farm outbuilding entered and property stolen (PC Wilkins)
DONHEAD St. MARY 26th ~ Handbag stolen from locked car at Wingreen (PC Madams)
DONHEAD St. ANDREW 31st ~ Farm outbuilding entered and property stolen (PC Madams)
EAST KNOYLE 12th ~ Generator stolen from new house under construction (PC Wilkins)
12th ~ Telephone stolen from taxi during journey to Tisbury railway station (PC Wilkins)
17th ~ Car window smashed overnight outside cottage on A350 (PC Wilkins)
LUDWELL 7th ~ German national arrested for smuggling illegal immigrants into the country, after dropping 48 Sri-Lankan nationals in the Chalke Valley (Salisbury Traffic) 21st ~ Clothing stolen from unlocked van in Peckons Hill (PC Madams)
STOURTON 29th ~ Car broken into at National Trust car park and handbag stolen (PC Briant)
TEFFONT 12th ~ Outhouse forced open, tools stolen (PC Steele) 17th ~ Four tyres of roadwork vehicle punctured overnight (PC Steele) 25th ~ Female arrested for drink driving (PC Wilson)
TISBURY 1st ~ Window smashed at "Odettes" hairdressers (PC Littlewood)
3rd ~ Church entered and small sum of cash stolen (PC Littlewood)10th ~ Two youths dealt with for possessing & supplying class B drugs (PC Briant) 16th ~ Outbuilding at nursery garden forcibly entered and items stolen (PC Littlewood) 21st ~ Burglary to cellar of public house overnight, crates of alcohol stolen, two males interviewed, alcohol returned (PC Bispham) 22nd ~ Male arrested & interviewed for selling class B drugs (PC Briant)
TOLLARD ROYAL 10th ~ Forced entry to cottage, chainsaw stolen (PC Madams)
10th ~ Ornamental stone horse head stolen from stable yard (PC Madams) 17th ~ Unlocked garage entered and garden equipment stolen (PC Madams)
MAIDEN BRADLEY 1st ~ Failed attempt overnight to force shop door (PC Briant)
6th ~ Secure barn forced, tools and equipment stolen (PC Briant)
MERE 1st ~ Male reported for domestic related assault (PC Mills) 6th ~ Car broken into, stereo stolen overnight (PC Mills) 8th ~ Gas bottles stolen from compound (PC Mills) 7th ~ Damage caused to car door locks overnight in Castle Street (PC Mills) 7th ~ Male interviewed for stealing logs from a rear garden in Castle St (PC Mills) 12th ~ Rear door forced to isolated property (PC Mills) 13th ~ Damage caused deliberately to fence panel (PC Mills) 19th ~ Theft from employer, suspect to be interviewed (PC Wilson) 19th ~ Van broken into overnight in Castle St, tools stolen (PC Wilson)
20th ~ Antiques stolen from shop in the Square (PC Wilson) 28th ~ Padlock to storeroom cropped, tools and equipment stolen (PC Wilson)
SEMLEY 18th ~ Coat & telephone stolen from unlocked car outside scrap yard (PC Clark)
30th ~ Vehicle broken into, tools stolen (PC Bispham) 31st ~ Farm outbuilding forcibly entered and equipment stolen (PC Clark)
WARDOUR 9th ~ Coat stolen during private function (PC Clark)
WEST KNOYLE 4th ~ Pane of glass smashed in a front door at Puckwell (PC Wilkins).
(Reported crime compiled by PCs Briant & Wilkins)

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