Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

July 2000

Sandra Burton, Neighbourhood Watch Liaison Officer

Billericay Police Station, Billericay CM12 9AB

01277 631212 ext 45431

Who's Who

Police Inspector: Steve Tutton - 01277 631212
Community Liaison PC Kevin Hopton Direct Line - 01268 244028
N W Liaison Sandra Burton 01277 631212 ext 45431
Crime Prevention Colin Mead: 01268 532212

If you think that drug dealers and drug takers are in your area, please call either Kevin Hopton on 636454 or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111
You do not have to give your name

Diary Dates

Members meeting dates for 2000 are: 9 August; 11 October and 6 December All are welcome at the Billericay Football Club at 8pm. Quiz Night - 30 September Streetwise Visit - October

Summer is the time to get on your bike . . .

But how secure is your bicycle? Every year tens of thousands of bicycles are stolen and rarely to the owners get them back. You can help to safeguard your bicycle by using the following precautions: Have your bicycle marked with your postcode. We can do this for you with ultra violet marking pens and especially made cycle marking kit. Come along to the Police Station between 10am and noon on Saturday 18 August and we will mark your bicycle for you for free. Always lock your bicycle when you leave it, no matter for how short a time and especially when you put it in your garage or shed. Make a note of the colour, make, model and serial number. We will give you a form to record this information when you have you bicycle marked. If you cannot get along to the cycle marking day, make a note of the cycle details on a sheet of paper and keep then separate from the bike. Remember to get your bicycle insured. Some companies may require a separate policy, so check if your policies cover your bikes before it is too late.

or your motorcycle . . .

Professional thieves target the machines they want . They either resell them or 'cannibalise' them to rebuild damaged machines. Make life as difficult as possible for thieves by:

Parking in busy, public places during the day.
In well lit areas at night.
Vary your parking place if possible.
whenever possible use custom built motorcycle parking areas, especially ones with fixed parking stands or loops.
Use car parks displaying the 'Secured Car Park' logo.
Always engage the steering lock.
Wherever possible, attach the motorcycle to an immovable object or another motorcycle using high tension steel cable and high quality padlock, or U-lock, through the rear wheel and/or frame.
Never leave your crash helmet, possessions or panniers with the machine.

Return to Streetwise

We are planning another visit to Streetwise in Bournemouth. In case you cannot remember what Streetwise is, here is very brief description: Streetwise is an exciting interactive safety education centre in Bournemouth. It is a registered charity and its purpose is to give kids the education they need to be safer on the streets.
The process is based on interactive learning, the kids take part in the whole process as if it is real life. Interactive learning offers the opportunity for kids to experience the real life dangers in a controlled environment so that they can learn how to avoid the dangers and what to do in an emergency.

'Streetwise' has been built inside a warehouse and the scenarios used are life size and life-like. The scenarios include a high street with shops and offices, a park, a beach, railway track, heathland, building site, electricity sub-station, dark alleyways and a house. We are trying to plan a trip for up to 53 adults and kids for a Saturday in October, but we need to book early.
The cost will be £8.50 for adults and £7.50 for kids. The cost includes coach return fare to Billericay and entrance to 'Streetwise'. The plan is to leave Billericay at 07:30, arrive at 'Streetwise' at 10:00, start the 'Streetwise 'experience at 10:30 and finish it about 13:00; that should leave a couple of hours to look around Bournemouth before leaving at around 17:00, arriving Billericay about 19:30.
All kids must by accompanied by adults, we have no supervision for unaccompanied kids. We suggest the minimum age of five for kids going into 'Streetwise'. If you are interested please reserve your places by using the reply slip on the two previous newsletters, or just send a note to us at the Police Station giving the numbers of adults, kids, your name and phone number.
Do not send a cheque or cash yet, we will ask you for it when we book the trip.
We need to sell enough tickets to cover the cost of the coach, so we will get back to you with the exact date when we confirm the trip is on.This is a great way for kids and adults to lean in a controlled, safe way.

Goodbye and good luck to Dave Griffiths

Sergeant Dave Griffiths is leaving Billericay Police Station to take up a new post in the Traffic Police. Dave has been at Billericay for NN years and a familiar figure in the High Street. We wish him well in his new job and thank him for all his help.

Criminal Damage

There has been a severe outbreak of criminal damage in the local area. The main damage has been garden walls kicked over and flower pots smashed. The probable cause is drunken yobs on the way home from a pub. The Police are investigating and have questioned some suspects, but no charges have been made, yet. The real problem is to catch them in the act, which uses up a huge amount of Police manpower. Inspector Steve Tutton is committed to catching these people and has asked for any help members can give. Unfortunately most of the damage happens on Friday and Saturday nights, which is the busiest time of the week for the Police, so response is not always as rapid as it could be. However, the fact still remains that the damage is continuing and honest, decent people are having their peace and quite destroyed by a few mindless thugs. If you have any information that could help, please call the Police Station, or the Community Liaison Office PC Kevin Hopton (01268 244028) or Crimestoppers - you do not have to give your name, you could help to stop this damage before it gets out of hand or someone gets injured.

Security Tax Disks

We have had a run on these, so please be patient if you are waiting for yours to arrive. For those of you who may not remember, the Security Tax disk protects you disk against being altered. 'Why?' do I hear you ask - well you would be surprised to learn how many car windows are smashed just to get the disk, which is then altered to suit the thieves car.

Haynes Security Manuals

We got a really good deal on another batch of the Haynes Security Manuals. They retail at about £5.50, but we can offer them at £1 each. They are packed with useful advice about home and personal security, and if you don't like them, they work out cheaper than BBQ fire lighters. Give us a call at the Police Station if you want one.

Its time to do the garden again

Remember all those lovely garden tools you had so much fun with last year - well it's time to get them out again! Give a thought to security as you scrape the rust off (and if yours are not rusty, then come and scrape the rust off mine). A quick count-up will reveal you have a large amount of cash tied up in your tools (even that spade with the broken handle that you are really going to fix this year), so please look after them. Check your insurance policy, ensure it covers your tools and your shed. Check the locks on your shed or garage, think about an alarm if your have a lot of valuable tools.
Property mark your expensive tools. We can help with the loan of marking kits. Record the serial numbers and models of power tools and mowers. Consider some additional security for cycles, mowers and ladders - a sturdy chain and pad lock fixed to a wall or floor will help secure them. Don't leave your tools laying about over night. Besides the risk of theft, they can be used as house breaking implements.

Crime figues

Since the update to the Police computer, we have not been able to get the crime figures we usually publish. This problem will be fixed soon and we will be back to normal. This problem does not affect the Police recording and reacting to reported crime.