Success Of Crime Prevention Stand In Town Centre Hailed
PC Fred Jones, West Mercia Police's Crime Risk Manager in Telford, has hailed the success of a Crime Prevention advice stand that he organised in Telford Shopping Centre on Thursday 7 January.
The stand was organised in support of West Mercia Police's Operation Protect 3 campaign - an initiative launched to raise awareness about how people can protect themselves against opportunist thieves and keep themselves - and their property - more secure.
The stand offered shoppers the chance to speak directly to police officers and CSOs about their concerns and also ask for advice about how they can go about making their homes more secure. There were also a number of free gifts available on the stand that shoppers were able to pick up and take away and PC Jones confirmed that these ‘freebies' had been a big hit.
He said: "The stand proved a really worthwhile exercise and we were able to speak to a significant number of people on the day. The aim of the stand was to raise awareness about how simple its is to implement basic crime prevention measures to protect yourself and we were certainly able to offer reassurance to many people about personal and home security.
"On the day we were giving away purse security chains and UV (ultra-violet) marker pens free of charge and these items proved very popular. The UV pens were generously paid for by the Ironbridge Lions Club and can be used to mark property with names, phone numbers or addresses for example. By marking specific items it means that they can be traced back to their rightful owner should the property ever be recovered after being stolen.
"In addition to giving away the ‘freebies', the fact that we get to speak face-to-face with so many people at events like this is a great source of information for us. This allows us to learn more about the issues that really do concern local people and make the first steps towards addressing these problems.
"We are also able to offer advice and reassurance to people that we may not usually be in contact with and that type of engagement is something that West Mercia Police places great importance upon."
Meanwhile, A/Detective Inspector Paul Mathison has expressed his satisfaction after two of Telford's most prolific burglars were returned to prison at the weekend.
He commented: "I'm pleased to report that two men - who have previously been two of Telford's most prolific offenders - were returned to prison at the weekend.
"The first man - a 30-year-old - has been put back behind bars having breached the conditions of his Licence after his release from prison, while the second man - a 34-year-old - was arrested at the scene of a burglary in Wellington on Friday night and has since been charged and remanded in custody pending an appearance at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
"The 34-year-old man was in fact arrested along with a 26-year-old man from Hadley and this man has also been charged with burglary and remanded in custody.
"We are really pleased that we have been able to put these men behind bars and hope that these cases demonstrate our continued commitment to tackling those individuals in the town that attempt to make the life of law abiding people a misery."
Bookmark with: