Crime: 21 July 2010

I would like to thank Caroline for holding the fort while I was away. We still have a problem with bikes being stolen, as well as quite a lot of petty on-street crime.

There were no Burglaries in Maidenhead over the last 24 hours !

Quite a few shed breaks for garden tools – please property mark them visibly with your postcode and house number as soon as possible – particularly if you have a valuable sit on mower, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers etc. As a thief, I will be able to assess the garden tools you have from the perimeter of your property – where I can judge the size of your garden and consequently the tools needed to maintain it !!

The new bike marking strips have arrived and I have asked my Police Volunteer Jenny to send them out – she has been beavering away today !. In the meantime I have attached the LYCRAAAH form for you to complete and return for the database. Ken – another volunteer is entering and maintaining the database and has asked that the photo of the bike, be attached as a BMP file rather than embedded in the document. We would really like to record as many bikes as possible on the database. We find / recover loads of bikes which are never claimed or even reported as stolen. This would help us enormously.

Last night we had an excellent NHW Open meeting in Ascot. Greg Nelson from the Borough’s Trading Standards department came along and made a really good presentation which centred on doorstep selling. His advice - like mine – Do not buy goods and services at the door ! He is dealing with several cases of ‘Dodgy builders’ where vulnerable house owners have handed over many thousands of pounds for either no, or substandard work. He has produced a simple fact sheet which I have attached. If you see builder’s working for a vulnerable or elderly neighbour, please let us know and we will ask a PCSO to go along and make a discrete visit.

We used to hold regular open meetings in Maidenhead, which were brilliantly attended and I am thinking of re-instating these. I will wait until the holiday period is over, then organise something.

CRIME:
BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS & LITTLEWICK GREEN:
15/7 – 16/7 Startins Lane, Cookham. Metal gates rammed to gain entry and outbuildings entered – garden equipment stolen.
18/7 2 – 3 a.m. Winter Hill X 2. Shed breaks and high value garden equipment stolen, one shed had its interior vandalised.
17/7 – 18/7 Dean Lane, Cookham. Metal gates rammed in attempt to get in. garage break.
17/7 – 18/7 Butchers Lane, White Waltham. Rear car window smashed.
15/7 9.30 p.m. Choseley Road. Owner saw 2 kids breaking into his car and shouted. They immediately made off. He phoned the police who carried out an area search locating 2 kids who matched his description who were arrested.
18/7 – 19/7 Warren Roar Road. Thieves drove across 3 fields and through 3 gates to access a summerhouse. Hi Fi system, bikes and mower stolen.
19/7 Odney Lane. Bike stolen.
18/7 – 20/7 Mill Lane. Boat broken into and engine house exposed – possibly attempt to steal it.
20/7 Burchetts Green Lane. Padlocks damaged on gate to garage – no entry gained.
20/7 4 p.m. Bottle Lane. The owners arrived home to find their alarm going off and someone in their home. He had climbed in through an upstairs window which had been left open. A laptop he intended to steal was left behind. In his panic to get away he smashed a ground floor window to get out leaving blood behind which we will of course be analysing for DNA.
He is described as:
Possibly white, mid teens / early 20s, slight build, 5’6’’, wearing a dark hoody.

BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK:
16/7 – 18/7 Copthorn Close – car keyed.
17/7 2.30 – 9.45 p.m. Wootton Way. Car rear window smashed – bag of documents stolen.
18/7 – 19/7 Altwood Road. Brick thrown at a car causing damage.
20/7 11 p.m. Boyn Hill Avenue. Derelict building entered and damaged.
20/7 – 21/7 The Thicket. School grounds entered and items vandalised.
20/7 – 21/7 Boyndon Road. Bike stolen.
19/7 – 21/7 Pursell Close. Windscreen wipers and wing mirror stolen from a Vauxhall Astra.
22/7 .40 a.m. Great Hill Crescent. Owner heard a noise and looked out to see a lad running away from his car which had been left insecure – it had been searched but nothing stolen.

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:
16/7 – 17/7 Harrow Lane. Bottle thrown at car which smashed causing a dent and scratches.
17/7 – 18/7 All Saints Avenue. Car driver’s window smashed – nothing stolen.
16/7 – 17/7 Norden Road. Car possibly left insecure entered and searched.
20/7 11 a.m. Craufurd Rise – bike stolen.

INNER MAIDENHEAD:
18/7 1.20 a.m. High Town Road. A witness saw a lad kick a wing mirror from a car and immediately phoned the police. He followed the offender who was arrested.

OLDFIELD & BRAY:
18/7 – 19/7 Stroud Farm Road. Caravan broken into and searched.

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:
18/7 Noon – 7 p.m. Cricket Club, Bath Road. Car left insecure – IPOD & SAT NAV stolen.
15/7 – 16/7 Halifax Road. Blue VW Golf index L 4 YOR stolen from the road.
3/7 – 17/7 Lee Lane. Shed break – mower stolen.
20/7 Daytimer. Courthouse Road. Burglary through forced rear window – IPOD, mobile, and cash stolen.

The number as always - 0845 8 505 505 or Crimestoppers in complete confidence on 0800 555 111.