Ashton Neighbourhood Watch

If a crime is in progress and you consider it to be an emergency - dial 999 If a crime has been found after some delay and there are no suspects around it may no longer be an emergency, therefore - dial 08457 444 888 To view or print a helpful leaflet giving advice on when to call the police click here

 

Click here to visit the Pershore Rural South Local Policing Team web page.

Important Advice

Don't Leave Your Home Open to Summertime Thieves

South Worcestershire police have warned residents to avoid leaving their homes open to summertime thieves. Now the clocks have gone forward and the weather is getting warmer, more people leave doors and windows open and unlocked in our homes.

Crime Reduction Manager for South Worcestershire Police, Mike Stephenson, said: “Now British Summertime is officially here and the weather is warmer it is an timely reminder to people to secure their homes against opportunistic thieves.

“As tempting as it is to leave windows open during the warmer weather, it’s important to close and lock them in any unoccupied rooms, and to double check they are shut when leaving the house or going to bed at night.

“It only takes a minute for someone to sneak in and help themselves to a handbag or other valuables. Thieves are opportunists and may see an open window or an unlocked gate as an easy target, especially if the house appears unoccupied so it is also important that access to the rear of the house is restricted and side gates are kept bolted and locked.”

Don't be a Victim of Garden Crime

New help and advice from West Mercia Police: please click here.

Trading Standards Trader Register

Trading Standards have launched a Trader Register scheme - an online directory of local traders who are committed to providing good workmanship. This is especially relevant currently, in light of the series of Distraction Burglaries that have taken place in some areas, where callers will often call on the pretext of undertaking work. West Mercia's advice is never to offer work to "tradesmen" who turn up at your door unsolicited, but if you want some work done we would advise that you get 2-3 quotes first. The new Trading Standards register will also be a useful resource to find a reputable trader.

Trading Standards point out that the Trader Register is not an approval scheme, but members of the scheme have signed up to a Code of Practice and are dedicated to fair and honest workmanship.

If you are interested in the scheme, please see www.worcestershire.gov.uk/traderregister. Alternatively you can call the Trader Register Scheme on 01905 765394.

Advice about Bogus Callers

PLEASE REMEMBER the importance of making sure rear doors/windows are locked before answering the front door, putting your door chain on (if you have one) before answering the door, asking for/checking Identification (and if not 100% convinced by the ID to check with the callers organisation by calling the organisation on a number got from Directory Enquiries/Phone Book etc NOT BY USING A NUMBER PROVIDED BY THE CALLER OR DISPLAYED ON THEIR ID CARD). Most of the utilities will be happy to arrange a password with you, so you know that they are who they say they are if they call. It is also worth noting that many Bogus Callers claim to be from the "Water Board" - please note that there has not been a "Water Board" since 1989 - therefore anybody who claims be from the "Water Board" or similar should be viewed with suspicion.

Finally, some of these callers offer to do work (e.g. drives etc) - some go to considerable lengths to  appear legitimate (including - bogus - sign written vans). They will often do work after agreeing a price, but when it comes to pay, the price for the (often shoddy) work has escalated and they intimidate the person into paying - including in the past even driving the victim to the cash point. It is also worth noting that these criminals "trade" victims. If one group of bogus callers note that there is more cash around than they were able to steal, they will pass the victim's address on to their "colleagues" in the criminal fraternity (on the agreement that they have a cut in any "winnings"), so that their "colleagues" can target them on another pretext. So unfortunately, once someone becomes the victim of a bogus caller, occasionally, they will be targeted again - making it doubly important to do all we can to prevent them becoming victims in the first place.

Incident Reports

12th July 2007: Burglaries in Conderton, Ashton under Hill and Broadway:

At approx 1500hrs on Thursday 12th July, a man entered an address in Conderton. He told the elderly female resident that he "needed to check her water" and asked her to turn the taps on, saying that some blue dye would come through. He then went upstairs with the lady. It seems a second male entered the property at this point. They then proceeded to go through the cupboards at the address. At some point one of the males has stolen £120 cash from a cabinet in one of the bedrooms. The men left at approx 1530hrs. The one male was described as white, "good looking", not tall, dressed in black clothes and spoke with a "foreign accent". The other male was "tubby", "with more of an accent" and wearing brown clothes. (Incident ref 484-S-120707.)

Between 1500 and 1600hrs on Thursday 12th July there was a burglary at an address in Willow Close, Ashton-Under-Hill. At approx 1500hrs a witness saw three males drive into Willow Close and stop close to the attacked premises. One male gets out and knocks on the door, and gets no answer. A second male gets out and they are then out of sight for a few minutes. The third male remains in the vehicle and after a few minutes the other two males return to the vehicle and it drives off. The vehicle is described as silver four door Volkswagen Golf reg AD55RDF. At 1630hrs the resident of the address (who had been in his rear garden throughout) has discovered that he had been burgled. The house appears to have been searched throughout, and a wallet, cash and cards stolen. (Incident ref 541-S-120707.)

Between 1700hrs and 1720hrs on Thursday 12th July a male rang the doorbell of an address on Back Lane, Broadway. The elderly female resident put the door on the chain and opened the door slightly to him. The male stated he was from "Dyna Rod" and that there had been a burst further down the road and that she would need to drain her water. The resident stated that she did not know what he meant and the male offered to show her. The man then led the resident to the rear of the house where he kept her talking. The lady then became aware of a second male in the house, and immediately became suspicious telling both of them to get out, which they did. Afterwards it was discovered that £50 in cash was missing from her hand bag. The first male was described as white, 5ft6/5ft7, in his 20's, average build, wearing a cap and dark clothes. The second male was taller, white, aged in his 50's, wearing a cap and light coloured clothes. (Incident ref 578-S-120707.)

If you have seen anything suspicious, or that may be connected to any of the above, please call 08457 444888, quoting the relevant incident reference number (see above).

 

Ashton Neighbourhood Watch is co-ordinated by Joe Aspey and Roger Umpelby together with a small team of enthusiastic volunteers. The group's purpose is to maintain a watch on our neighbourhood and ensure that useful intelligence received from the Police is shared around our community. You can help and benefit in two ways. The group needs a few more volunteers to ensure coverage around the village, especially in Cottons Lane , Bakers Lane, Cornfields  and Beckford Road . There is no arduous or dangerous work involved, just the willingness to be observant and share information with the group and your neighbours. An e-mail address is essential because this is how the group keeps in touch. If you don't want to help directly, you can still choose to receive information that the group puts out by e-mail. Whichever is your choice, please contact Joe Aspey 881539.

Useful links

Identity theft is becoming an increasing problem - it's estimated that more than 100,000 people are affected by identity theft in the UK each year, costing the British economy over £1.3 billion annually. Take a look at the Home Office website at www.identitytheft.org.uk

National Mobile Phone Register - add your details to protect your mobile phone

crimereduction.gov.uk - online information source for the crime reduction community

Identity Theft - Home Office website

National Neighbourhood Watch Association

www.icstis.org.uk - useful advice from the Premium Rate Services Regulator