Staying Safe

Published: 05 November 2022

PC Pete Jung from Wiltshire Police has been rushed off his aching flat feet this month with break-ins and thefts all around the village. A mountain bike was stolen from a garage in Southampton Road - thankfully Pete and the team managed to get that one back to the grateful owners. There was an attempted break-in at Lights Lane, but it seems that the thieves were disturbed and took flight. Tools were stolen from out-buildings in Firs Road and at Rectory Farm. Shed locks were jemmied at Clarendon Grange but nothing was stolen. The same thing happened at Alderbury Halt but this time the burglars made off with power tools.

Pete has asked the Council to promote the importance of home security and property marking in the village. Wiltshire Constabulary provided a range of useful advice on home safety measures and was working with SelectaDNA to provide an invisible DNA liquid for property marking. As part of Operation Siege this was being marketed to the public at a discounted rate. SelectaDNA had proved effective at deterring theft by as much as 80%.

1.       PC Rachel Davis from the Wiltshire Police Complex Fraud Team has provided a very useful presentation on the more common types of fraud and how residents can avoid being the victims of this heartless crime.  Her presentation covers the following topics:

• What is fraud and what is its impact
• The ‘fraud-protect’ roles within Wiltshire Police
• Assessing vulnerability to fraud
• Different types of fraud
• The signs which suggest someone may be a victim of fraud
• Fraud safeguarding advice and crime prevention tactics

Rachel’s presentation can be found here. She is always willing to address local groups if that would help get the message out to the residents of the village. Before she left, Rachel handed out copies of “The Little Book of Big Scams” which covered the subject and provided advice in a simple and easy to read format.

Stay safe everyone