THE GRASS NEEDS CUTTING WHERE IS YOUR MOWER?

Spring is here, sort of, and everything is bursting into life. Many things come with spring, the daffodils have arrived, the bluebells are on their way, birds are singing and rabbits are, well rabbits are doing what they do best.
However, a less well known creature ventures out into the countryside in the spring, the greater spotted, greasy haired lawnmower thief. He is habitually shy and is very hard to spot. Normally a nocturnal creature he will be seen increasingly as the days get longer. He normally travels by car, pick-up or van and is commonly seen with others of his ilk. He is strongly attracted to sheds, barns and outhouses in his pursuit for his main prey, the lawnmower. Although the lawnmower is his main target, he is also attracted to other garden implements and tools, in fact he will steal anything he can pick up that will fit into his vehicle. Why is he more prevalent in spring and early summer? He knows that he can easily sell on lawnmowers and garden tools at this time of the year.
Please be aware that your property is always at risk from thieves. If you don't believe me look at the list of last months recorded crimes and count the number of thefts involving lawnmowers and tools! Please make sure that your lawnmower and other tools are secure when not in use.
If your shed is secure but you would like to ensure that any prospective thief who still tries to break in gets the fright of his life consider a shed alarm. The Wiltshire Crime Prevention Panel buys simple shed alarms in bulk and as such they will only cost you £5.50p. A very cheap alarm system I think you will agree! If you want one together with a free demonstration contact me at Tisbury and I will order one in and deliver it personally.
Finally on garden equipment security, do you know the make, model and serial number of your lawnmower, brushcutter, strimmer, leafblower, hedgetrimmer, chainsaw etc? If you don't please find it out and make a note of it, if it is stolen it may aid us to catch the offender and also recover the property.
And, finally, consider postcoding your property. If you don't know how to or haven't the equipment required give me a ring or drop me an e-mail. I have a full property marking kit here which is underused!

ANTIQUE KNOCKERS WARNING - BE AWARE.

We have had reports from our colleagues in Portsmouth about a group of men who may visit this area purporting to be legitimate antique dealers. They will knock on your door and ask to look at antiques and offer you cash for them. If you are not in they may leave you a leaflet stating that they will return at a later date. I would be very suspicious about this method of doing business. Some of these men will offer you very small amounts of cash for valuable items.
There have been incidences whereby some of these people have returned and burgled houses.
If someone calls or drops a leaflet stating they are antiques dealers please ring the Police Control Room straight away with as much detail as possible. Ideally we would like to speak to them before they leave the area to check them out thoroughly. Remember that this is part of our job, policing the streets.

MOBILE PHONE OWNERS BEWARE.

Information has come to light from a colleague in Salisbury that there is a fraud being used to trick mobile phone owners. It works by someone claiming to be a mobile phone engineer ringing you on your mobile and telling you that he is carrying out a check on your phone. He will ask you to dial a series of numbers into your phone. He will say thank you and will then be able to make as many calls as he likes using your phone number. If you are on a monthly contract that could be expensive. If someone like this does ring you my advice is to end the call immediately.

HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANYTHING BETTER TO DO?
It is a simple little question that is occasionally levelled at us. The most common source of this question is the motorist, but it can come from anywhere. A colleague recently walked into a shop just out of our area whilst investigating a burglary and was greeted with the question before he said a word!
Okay so what is your point I hear you ask. Well my point is this: when I joined the Police it was because I wanted to do two things, lock up bad people and look after the good people. Perhaps an over simplification and perhaps a little naive but that was the gist of it.
Unfortunately it is not that simple. The job involves much more than that. One of the problems is identifying the baddies amongst the vast majority of goodies. Criminals drive cars like you and me. Decent folk walk around late at night. Most of us can all look suspicious to someone or find ourselves in suspicious circumstances. Burglars don't wear stripy shirts or carry swag bags nor do they look like the villains do on the television. So please bear with us, we really are trying to do what we wanted to do when we joined. It's just not as easy as some people think.

REPORTED CRIME TISBURY SECTION JULY 2001

REPORTED CRIME TISBURY SECTION APRIL 2001

ALVEDISTON 8th ~ Isolated barn forcibly entered and tools stolen (PC Madams)
BERWICK ST JOHN 11th ~ Secure shed forcibly entered and lawnmower stolen (PC Madams)
CHICKLADE 8th ~ Vehicle seen to drive-off having failed to pay for fuel at Service Station (PC Wilkins)
CHILMARK 10th ~ Property stolen overnight from insecure building site (Crime desk)
DONHEAD ST ANDREW 23rd ~ Tools stolen from tractor parked in field (PC Bispham)
DONHEAD ST MARY 6th ~ Male arrested following a drive-off from Service Station whereby fuel was obtained without payment (PC Madams) 8th ~ Motorcycle stolen from driveway of house whilst occupiers inside (PC Madams) 13th ~ Male arrested and charged following a drive off from Service Station whereby fuel was obtained without payment (PC Pilley) ~ Petrol strimmer and leaf blower stolen overnight from shed in Higher Coombe (PC Madams)
EAST KNOYLE 8th ~ Two separate instances of theft of door mirrors overnight from securely parked Peugeot motor vehicles (PC Wilkins)
FONTHILL BISHOP 19th ~ Tools and Rat poison stolen from insecure barn (PC Steele)
MERE 4th ~ Two instances of criminal damage at premises, both connected (PC Pilley) 13th ~ Male motorist stopped and arrested drink/drive, charged three times over the limit (PC Littlewood)
17th ~ Two youths from Gillingham arrested for attempting to pervert the course of justice (PC Pilley) 17th ~ House burgled whilst occupant away, antique furniture stolen (PC Mills) 18th ~ Attempts to forcibly enter shop premises foiled on activation of alarm system (PC Mills) 19th ~ Male arrested on Castle Street for being drunk & disorderly, having been threatening to Ambulance crew and Police Officers (PC Wilkins) 22nd ~ Window of shop front premises damaged (PC Mills) 28th ~ Car stolen from Castle Street Car Park overnight. Found crashed in Stoke Trister, near Wincanton later the same night. (PC Mills)
SEMLEY 2nd ~ Female arrested for assault and criminal damage (PC Steele) 6th ~ Insecure caravan stolen from field (Crime desk)
STOURTON 25th ~ Quantity of roofing tiles and slates stolen from building site overnight (PC Pilley)
TISBURY 14th ~ Female arrested for breach of the peace having been found drunk (PC Littlewood) 19th ~ Two securely parked cars interfered with and an item forcibly removed from one (PC Littlewood) 26th ~ Dwelling entered, elderly resident distracted and cash stolen (PC Littlewood)
TOLLARD ROYAL 6th ~ Insecure outbuilding forcibly entered and a generator stolen (PC Madams)
WEST KNOYLE 14th ~ Car seen to drive off Service Station forecourt having failed to pay for fuel (PC Wilkins)

Section crime stats by PC 1235 Jerry Wilkins (jerry.wilkins@wiltshire.police.uk)

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