Metal Theft

23/7. Lead has been stolen from the following places. Helston Walk, Scunthorpe, St. Mary’s Church, Church Hill, Barnetby. Alveston Road, Scunthorpe. Please see below for more information and crime prevention advice.

Metal Theft

22/7. West Common Gardens. Lead flashing stolen. Please also check the commercial crime map for thefts of metal at commercial properties.

Found Property

18/7. The below items of property have been found and handed in at the Scunthorpe Police Station. They could have been stolen and discarded by thieves.

If anyone owns any similar types of items please check they are still there and if not please contact the Scunthorpe Police Property Office on 01724 274133 during office hours as soon as possible.

479 is small items of jewellery found at Lincoln Gdns on 4/7.

493 is a Canon camera found at Mary St on 10/7.

508 is a bag containing tools and a pair of boots.

      B/F479/08           B/F493/08             B/F508

                    Please click on images to enlarge

Distraction Burglary

Two people have appeared before the North Lincolnshire Magistrates Court in answer to fifteen charges of distraction burglary following arrests by Police.

Lead Thefts

10/7. Thieves have stolen lead from Mallalieu Court, Yeovil Court and at the Messingham Infants School.

Please take a look below for advice from PC Jamie Allen, Scunthorpe Crime Reduction officer

Please report anything suspicious to Police on 0845 60 60 222 straight away.

Information is coming in. Thanks. Arrests are being made. Please see above.

Arrests

8/7. Two people were arrested for theft of scrap metal at The Elsham Wold Industrial Estate.

Distraction Burglary

Please go to the N Lincs crime map for details of distraction burglaries via any of the area pages

Please click here for free nominated neighbour packs

Please click here for advice about prevention of distraction burglary

Forged Twenties

The below information is circulated in case the thieves try to operate in the Scunthorpe area

26/6. PC Nigel Powell, the community officer for Cleethorpes Seafront reports an attempt to pass a forged £20 note at a kiosk at Cleethorpes Seafront recently. The thief drove away in a silver BMW.

To remind readers the usual trick is to buy a small item with a forged £20 note and receive over £15 in change.

Various forged banknote detectors are available.  Cash handlers say the feel of the note is not right. The metal strip is sometimes not correct.

Please keep an eye out for anyone using £20 notes in this way and the silver BMW. Please report suspicions straight away to Police on 0845 60 60 222.

Message from Sgt Clark

Following the previous publication, I would like to thank the public for their excellent response. From the 12 names published, information was received which contributed towards the arrest of 6 of them.

The following persons have failed to attend court and once again we would appreciate any information from your readers that may help us to apprehend them. All calls will be treated in confidence and you can call us on 0845 60 60 222.

If you are one of the people on the list, then hand yourself in at the nearest police station, before we come and get you.

Emma Catherine CHAPPELL b.19/1/1977 - Scunthorpe area, Breach of Community Order

Peter Geoffrey CHARLTON b.12/3/1976 - Brigg area, Breach of Community Order

Peter Anthony FIELDING b.21/9/1983 - Queensway, Scunthorpe, Traffic offence

Jacek Mikolaj GAJ b.9/7/1984 - Berkeley Street, Scunthorpe, Traffic offence

Lee GODFREY b.13/12/1986 - Goxhill / Barton area, Robbery

Jan GODLEWSKI b.16/4/1973 - Scunthorpe area, Breach of Community Order

Louise Emma HALSALL b.1/5/1979 - Henderson Avenue, Scunthorpe, Breach of Community Order

Michael Lee MONTANDON b.20/11/1985 - East Common Lane, Scunthorpe, Breach of Suspended Sentence

Andrew Robert MOORE b.30/6/1955 - Deyne Avenue, Scunthorpe, Deception

Rachael TORRENCE b.10/6/1972 - Scunthorpe area, Traffic offences

Scott Paul WATSON b.30/1/1975 - Scunthorpe area, Traffic offence

Lisa Jane WINGATE b.1/10/1972 - Scunthorpe area, Not specified

Found Property

The below pictured items have been found in the Scunthorpe area and is awaiting collection by the owner at the Scunthorpe Police Property Office. Will the losers please contact the property office on 01724 274133 during office hours as soon as possible

         b/f388/08            b/f224/08              b/f203/08

                        Please click on image to enlarge

Metal Thefts

PC Jamie Allen, the Scunthorpe Police crime reduction officer, issues an advice document to stem the recent increase in thefts of metal due to sharp increase in  value and its availability.

The nine page paper is geared to commercial interests but some parts of the information are valuable to house residents.

The document can be found by clicking on safety advice and then general or from the link below

Metal theft prevention

Metal thieves are being arrested but others are continuing to steal.

Please keep an eye out for thieves stealing metal and report anyone acting suspiciously straight away to Police on 0845 60 60 222

If you have information about culprits please contact safelinks. If you need to be anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

PC Allen

18/6. Lead flashing thefts continue with a theft in the early hours at Radstock Court, Seaton Rd, Scunthorpe.

Bogus Callers Awareness Campaign

4/6

Can you be sure who’s coming through your door? That is the question being posed by Humberside Police in a new campaign to raise awareness about bogus callers.

Radio advertising, billboards and buses are being used to remind the public of the activity of bogus callers and posters and leaflets are also being distributed within the local community at libraries, community centres and post offices.

Neighbourhood policing officers including PCSOs will assist in the distribution of advice leaflets and window stickers among local areas to hammer home the messages.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Leaver said: “Bogus callers often target the most vulnerable members of our communities and it is the aim of this campaign to increase awareness among these groups and make everyone think a little more carefully about who they are opening their door to.”

The key messages being driven by the campaign are:
• Appearances can be deceptive - bogus callers often look respectful but are deceitful
• Together we can shut the door on these criminals
• If in doubt keep them out

Mr Leaver said: “Most people who call at your home will be genuine. But sometimes, people turn up unannounced with the intention of tricking their way into your home to steal valuables and money.

“They may pose as an official caller from a local authority or a utility company, gas, electricity or water, with a plausible explanation for needing to enter the home.

“Bogus callers sometimes work in pairs or even teams. They are often well organised. One will distract the person while the other searches the house for money or other valuables. They can be men, women or children, or often a combination. Watch out for anyone who says they are in a hurry. Don’t let them pressure or confuse you.”

Humberside Police is urging people to pay heed to the following advice:

LOCK, STOP, CHAIN and CHECK

When someone calls at your door and offers to do repairs to your home or to ask for urgent help, or when someone official knocks on your door, follow these simple steps to help protect yourself and your home from bogus callers.

LOCK:

Keep your front and back doors locked, even when at home.

STOP:

Before you answer, stop and think if you are expecting anyone. Check that you have locked any back doors and taken the key out. Look through the spy hole or the window to see who it is.

CHAIN:

If you decide to open the door, put the door chain or bar on first. Keep the bar or chain on while you are talking to the person on the doorstep. (Normally, when the door is shut and locked, leave the bar or chain off in case you need to get out in an emergency.) Some bogus callers call on older and vulnerable people saying they need help urgently. They may ask you to help them outside the house or ask to come in to make a phone call or have a glass of water. Only go to help them if you have someone else with you. Don’t worry if you choose not to help – it is not rude or unfriendly.

CHECK:

If someone who looks official calls at your door, always do the following. Ask for and carefully check their identity card, even if they have a prearranged appointment (all genuine callers will carry one). Do they look like the person on the card? Is the name the same one as that on your letter? Close the door while you do this. If you are not expecting them and they have not shown you an identity card, do not let them in until you have checked and double-checked that the caller is genuine.

ONLY LET THEM IN WHEN YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THEY ARE GENUINE.
Genuine callers will always be happy to make an appointment to call and will carry an identity card with a photograph. They won’t mind waiting if you want to phone and confirm their identity or want to rearrange the appointment.

REPORT BOGUS CALLERS: 0845 60 60 222. For more information go to www.humberside.police.uk

Lead Thefts

Police continue to investigate fresh reports of metal and lead thefts.

Officers are now making enquiries throughout the area following two unusual incidents which took place at unoccupied properties in the Scunthorpe area.

The first incident took place at some point over the weekend at a property on Ville Rd in Scunthorpe.

Neighbours reported water coming from the front door and on further inspection, a hot water cylinder had been stolen without the water supply being turned off.

The second incident again too place over the weekend at a property on Doncaster Rd in Scunthorpe.

Once again, neighbours reported water coming from under the front door and on further inspection, a hot water cyclinder, some lead piping and two cast iron fire places had been stolen.

Officers investigating these crimes are urging local businesses to remain alert and report any suspicious activity as they may be approached to take these unusual items.

Neighbourhood Officers are urging both residents and businesses to remain alert and look at taking precautions in order to prevent your business or home from being targeted by thieves.

By carrying out some of the following steps, you could potentially reduce the risk of being the victim of metal theft -

1) Tradesman, if you are forced to leave your vehicle unattended over night with copper etc on board, ensure it is in fully secured storage and easy to unfasten and remove or if possible, remove the copper from the vehicle over night.

2) Businesses, try to avoid leaving any metals being used or scrap metals awaiting disposal in view of passers by as this could reduce the risk your business being targeted.

3) Homeowners, you can lower the risk of being targeted by painting the lead lining your property with certain products. This will reduce the value of the lead when taken for weigh in and make it less desirable.

4) You can also replace the lead with an alternative material which again is less desirable to a thief.

Any good ideas for marking lead to make it less saleable please call safelinks via Contact Safelinks

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Humberside Police on 0845 60 60 222 alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

2/6 Lead flashing has been stolen from buildings at Priory Lane, St Hughs Cres and at Purbeck Rd.

4/6 Lead stolen from Abbotts Road, Wesley Road, Fairmont Crescent

9/6 Lead stolen from Yaddlethorpe Methodist Church, Cemetery Road, Danum Road, Messingham Road

Bogus Callers

Neighbourhood Police officers are asking residents to be vigilant in North Lincolnshire after reports of four men allegedly going door to door posing as vacuum cleaner salesman.

The men have been seen around the Isle of Axhlome and appear to be targeting the homes of elderly residents.

They allegedly claim to be working in the area selling vacuum products door to door and appear to be attempting to talk their way inside the homes they call at.

A green coloured MGZR has been seen around the area and may be the vehicle the men are using to get around.

PC Clarke said: “We are urging residents to be alert when answering their doors to unknown visitors as we have had reports of four men acting suspiciously in the area.

“Its important that anyone answering the door to an unknown caller asks to see some form of official ID before opening their door and reports any suspicious activity to Police.

“We urge anyone with information or who may have had dealings with these men to get in touch and help with enquires as this type of activity is unusual.”

Humberside Police issued the following advice for members of public

LOCK: Make sure your door is locked when you’re at home and don’t unlock it until you’re sure who is on the other side.

STOP: If someone appears at your door, and you’re not expecting any visitors, check that all the doors are locked. Look through the spy-hole or the window to see who it is.

CHAIN: If you decide to open the door, put the door chain or bar on first. Keep the bar or chain on while you are talking.
(Normally, when the door is shut and locked, leave the bar or chain off, in case you need to get out in an emergency)

CHECK: Ask for, and double check, their identity card. And if you’re still not sure, ask for a number you can ring to confirm their identity. If they can’t show you any identification, don’t let them in.

Residents who see anyone acting suspiciously are urged to contact police.
Anyone who may be able to identify the men or who may have seen the green coloured MGZR should contact PC 1048 Clarke on 0845 60 60 222.

Reducing Crime and Anti Social Behaviour in Your Area.

Safelinks wants to further reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in this area brought about by the public and police.

There is less crime and bad behaviour in areas where there is an active neighbourhood watch in place. The reason is that the police are only as effective as the quality of information given to the police by the public. In other words grouping together protects your home and  outnumbers criminals.

Ken Bates is an experienced neighbourhood watch group development officer and is there to help you to set up a group to protect your street.  You then gain the strength of The Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups.

Setting up is not difficult and does not involve a great lot of time to function. As with all these things the success depends on people interested in making their area much safer. I think that person is you.

It's about grouping together and caring without interfering. Ken can help you get the balance right.

There is a clear difference between a general moan and groan about the state of things and reporting a suspicious incident or the activities of a criminal. The latter puts criminals in a position of disadvantage.

For years the best successes by the Police have been the public calling about a suspicious incident, the Police responding to the incident and arresting the criminal or stopping the incident.

The Police are getting better so we, the public, need to get better too.

If you are interested in helping to start a neighbourhood watch group please call safelinks on admin@safelinks.info and we will ask Ken to call.

Graffiti

The marking of areas with graffiti makes a place look run down. It depresses most people and amounts to criminal damage. To tackle this poblem the Humberside Police need information about who is doing this and the community has the answer.

Take a look at the Humberside Police page to view the damage.

Click here to view

Click here to view more

If you know who is responsible for this or any other graffiti tags identified please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, stating the area in which the tags are located and the identifying letter.


All calls are anonymous - you can just tell them what you know, not who you are

Smartwater - Arrives in the Scunthorpe Area

The arrival of Smartwater to the Scunthorpe area has been announced.

Smartwater is a colourless liquid made up of a number of elements. The makeup of the elements is unique to each issue so that when it is found it can be traced back to the people to whom it was issued.

It is used in two distinct ways.

Firstly, it is used as a spray in buildings or cars and when activated by an intruder the liquid is sprayed on the person. Criminals find the material impossible to remove. Smartwater has been picked up from items eighteen months after being sprayed.

Secondly, it is painted on property as a property marking method.

People arrested by the Police at Scunthorpe walk through an ultra violet light system to check for smartwater. When properties are searched using a search warrant portable units are used to identify Smartwater on property and clothing. When people are challenged by the Police in the street, the property they are carrying is checked for Smartwater. Scrap metal dealers, second hand shops, car boot sales and other places are being visited by the Police.

C/Supt Stuart Donald is confident that, although reports of burglary are already decreasing, the use of Smartwater will bring significant reductions in burglary and car crime in this area and an increase in detection of these offences. It will deter and detect these crimes.

Geoff Knupfer, from the Smartwater organisation, explained the material and its use in other areas including North East Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire. An officer from South Yorks Police gave information about recent successes in the reduction and detection of burglary and car crime.

The property marking kits will be distributed initially in crime hotspot areas.

In addition to marking items such as CD players, sat navs, TVs, jewellery items such as lead flashing or property owned by businesses can be marked. The opportunities are endless and the benefits substantial.

Click here for more reading

Geoff Knupfer, C/I Steve Graham, C/Supt Stuart Donald and Supt David Hilditch prior to the launch.

Click on image to enlarge

Splashes of Smartwater on jacket sprayed 18mths ago.

Click on image to enlarge

Shed/Garage Alarms

The Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups (HANWaG) has sold security items to it's members for a number of years.  Because of the large number of shed and garage burglaries taking place at the moment HANWaG want to help non members too.

Shed /garage alarms are available, at reasonable cost, in keypad or keyfob versions.

The difference is that the key pad version is activated by pressing your self selected 4 figure code. You simply remember the code. With the keyfob the alarm it is armed by means of the fob. You need the fob with you of course.

The alarms are priced at Keypad £10.99 + p&p and the keyfob at £12.99 + p&p.

To order please email admin@hanwag.org.uk   with your name and postal address

Overview

The Intruder Alarms are the loudest, the best made, the most versatile and have the longest battery life of any similar product in the UK. The innovation of adding a magnetic contact trigger with two metres of cable has doubled the protection that these alarms can give.

Suitable for homes, sheds, garages, caravans and general purpose security. This new range of alarms is manufactured to ISO9001, and now incorporates a magnetic contact option giving greater versatility and breadth of application.

The Keypad/Key Fob PIR Alarm can be used either as a traditional alarm or as a door entry chime detector. The mounting bracket is swivel connected to the alarm body, thus allowing complete control of the area to be covered.

The Keypad version operates via a four digit code. The Key Fob version allows a unique code setting to be learnt which means that a single key fob can control a number of units and additional key fobs can be added to control the same alarm.

* Keypad or Key Fob controlled
* PIR and Magnetic Contact activated
* Entry/exit delay
* Full operating instructions included
* All fixings supplied
* 130+ dBs
* 1 year warranty
* Batteries included

                    Keypad                                                                    Keyfob

Neighbourhood Enforcement Team

North Lincolnshire Council operate a neighbourhood enforcement team to control abandoned vehicles, fly-tipping, littering, dog fouling, stray dogs, graffiti fly-tipping and fly-posting in your streets.

The name of the team is StreetRight and twelve neighbourhood enforcement officers are out on patrol making North Lincolnshire a much better place in which to live, work and to enjoy yourself.

They want to work with the community to cut down on environment crime such as the above and need your help to stop the above activities by calling and letting them know who is up to this.

The contact telephone number is 01724 297000 or you can contact them via safelinks/messages/send a private message.

StreetRight – that educates and enforces the law on enviro-crime has trebled the number of on-the-spot fines in just a month - reinforcing the 'get tough' stance the council said it would take from day one.

StreetRight started on 12 December 2005. The team have now issued over 100 on-the-spot fines of £50 each. All the fines issued have been paid in full and were uncontested except for one. The person contested the matter and magistrates imposed a fine and costs of £175


As part of StreetRight’s education role, it has talked to children in schools about the importance of caring for the environment and shown them how to act responsibly and within the law.


Stephen Coulman, the StreetRight manager said, " While we make patrols in all parts of North Lincolnshire we do rely heavily on resposible people to call us and tip us off about people who are not treating our streets with respect." We do try to work with people to improve their behaviour and if that doesn't work we will prosecute. We are using covert movable cameras in areas the community have indicated are anti social behaviour or enviro crime hotspots. We are working very closely with our Police and other partners to improve the look of the place. It attracts crime if a place looks down."

abandoned vehicles,

fly-tipping,

littering,

dog fouling,

stray dogs,

graffiti

fly-tipping and

fly-posting

     

                         Please click on images to enlarge

If you have any concerns with any of these issues in your community or want to report
incidents, please contact StreetRight on 01724 297000.

Police Helicopter Unit

Following messages about the Humberside Police Helicopter Unit safelinks went across to the base at the Humberside International Airport.

The unit moved to its purpose built premises in July 2005 from its previous location at Normandy Barracks, Leconfield.

The team consists of four pilots and eight air observers working shifts. Police and Civilian staff support the fliers.

The helicopter they operate is a MD902 Explorer powered by Pratt and Whitney Canada 207E engines

The important feature of this aircraft is that it has no tail rotor and this cuts down on noise. Incidentally when out on operations at night the pilot flies as high as possible without compromising operational efficiency in order to cut down on noise disturbance to residents.

When the helicopter is out of action for any reason there is an arrangement with the West and South Yorkshire Helicopter Units to provide service.

The unit is called upon to assist with pursuits of suspects in vehicles or on foot, to search large areas for missing or wanted persons.  They also assist in the management of serious crime scences and serious road collisions.  Another service is the monitoring public order situations.  The team also make patrols as part of attending incidents.  The helicopter is ready to go at a moments notice and it's position at the airport makes it quicker to reach incidents in our area.

Last month 52 operational flights took place in NE Lincolnshire and 39 in North Lincolnshire.

Inspector Kevin Limbert and his team were extremely helpful and keen that you know as much as possible about the unit. If you have any question not answered here please contact safelinks via messages. Specific operational information is not possible

Photographs following shortly.

                     Please click on images to enlarge

Anti-Social Behaviour Team

Safer Neighbourhoods is the Crime and Disorder Partnership for North Lincolnshire and is a partnership between the emergency services, local authority, private and voluntary sector agencies that works together to reduce crime, disorder and substance misuse within the area.

Anti-social behaviour covers the whole spectrum of society and should not and will not be tolerated. Safer Neighbourhoods will do their utmost to ensure that those individuals who make the life of residents of North Lincolnshire a misery are tackled. They will strive to make these individuals curb and alter their behaviour through education and diversionary measures, and were this fails apply for anti social behaviour orders to ensure that their behaviour alters.

North Lincolnshire’s anti-social behaviour team is situated in Shelford House Scunthorpe and comprises of Ian Welch who is the co-ordinator and two assistant officers, Caroline Hudson and Craig Marriott. Co-located alongside them is Pc Bob Hazon who is the anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for Humberside Police B Division that covers the whole of North Lincolnshire.

Reports of anti- social behaviour should in the first instance be reported as follows:   

1. If it occurs in the public arena telephone Humberside Police on 0845 60 60 20

2. If it occurs on council property or council housing telephone 01724 296296

3. Environmental issues telephone 01724 297000.

If you are interested in people in your area who have been given anti social behaviour orders please go to one of the 6 area safelinks crime pages where you see a "community" tab. Click that and details of some orders are to be found there.

For any other particular order please give us a call via messages/private.

Safelinks is looking forward to working with the community on this and working with people who have orders and can show their behaviour has improved markedly.

Please call with any problems.