An update from PC Claire Fletcher of the Bradley Stoke beat team.
We’ve recently seen an increase in thefts of tools from vans across South Gloucestershire. Please tell us if you see anyone acting suspiciously. This crime really does impact on tradespeople’s livelihoods.
We know it’s not always possible to empty a work van overnight, but we’d recommend it if you can. Otherwise:
- Permanently mark tools with your business name or postcode to make them identifiable
- Keep them inside a secure storage cage or box anchored within the vehicle
- Set the alarm as well as locking the van
- Park it in a secure garage or with the doors against a wall or another vehicle to make access more difficult
Remember, if you see anyone trying to break into a van, call 999 immediately.
Don’t help to create a market for stolen goods – we’d also like to hear from you if you see tools offered for sale, online or in person, at a suspiciously cheap price.
We’ve been targeting our patrols to tackle noisy and nuisance moped riders in the town.
We have powers to seize vehicles which are being used in an anti-social way and we have done so six times recently [see previous Journal article]. The owners have to pay more than £100 to get the moped back.
We can – and do – also issue notices to riders with faulty vehicles (such as noisy exhausts) a notice to fix it within 14 days.
Did you know you can contact us through www.avonandsomerset.police.uk? Just type your postcode into the ‘Your Area’ box and click the green ‘contact the team’ button.
Remember, incidents need to be reported by calling 101, 999 or through the website in order for us to take action!
PCSO Alicia Harvey and I have also been running a successful wellbeing project. As well as encouraging people to run and take exercise, we had talks on mindfulness and the links between exercise and health. We hope to continue after the school holidays, so watch this space!
