Crime: 20 June 2012

Lots to talk about !

1.      MOBILE PHONES LEFT IN JACKETS IN THE PARKS.  As a result of the fine weather, people have been going to our parks and playing games or laying out to enjoy the sun.  We have had several instances where people have sneaked up and stolen mobile phones from people’s jackets, which have been left on the grass.  In one case the jacket was right beside someone who was napping !

2.      INSECURE CARS.  Windsor and Maidenhead seem to have a problem with people leaving their cars unlocked when parked in the road.  They maintain they locked the car, but the thieves have got in – often to take loose change in the central well – without any damage.  No damage - the car was not locked !  We all know that Key Fobs create different strings of random numbers each time they are used, that cannot be copied or cloned.  That is absolutely true.  BUT – if a single other number is added to the string, the car will not recognise it – and do nothing.  It is really simple to add new numbers to the string !  If anyone uses their car fob at the same time, within the necessary distance, the car will receive both sets of numbers all jumbled up and the car – will do nothing.  There are many other devices on the market that work on this frequency, which do the same thing.  In car parks, this often happens inadvertently, sometimes it is not !  Whenever you leave your car - parked up anywhere – you must watch for the flashes and try a car door handle – just to make sure.  We do get kids walking up and down rows of parked cars, just trying car door handles – just in case.  If you see this, please report it to us immediately, using 999 – it is a ‘crime in progress’

3.      .  You can never ‘assume’ your fob has worked !  That only makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’.

4.      We have had ‘people from outside the area’ parked up on a recreation ground in Dedworth, Windsor.  Several have now moved on, but we do not know where – yet.  If you have land they could land on, please secure it for the near future.  If you see them attempting to land, please phone it through to the PEC on the 101 number.

5.      TACK THEFT.  A stable has been broken into in Bell Lane , Eton Wick and 7 saddles, 2 bridles and a harness were stolen.  If anyone comes and offers anything like this to you for sale – please let us know immediately.  If you have tack – is it ‘property marked’ ?  Helen, a volunteer, who manages Horse Watch for the police, has all the necessary equipment and experience and is very happy to come out and property mark all your tack.  She does a lovely job.

CRIME:

BISHAM, COOKHAM, HURLEY, THE WALTHAMS, LITTLEWICK GREEN & KNOWL HILL:

cookhamneighbourhood@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n107

18/6 – 19/6  Monday 5 p.m. / Tuesday 8 a.m.   College, Burchetts Green Road , Burchetts Green.  2 storage outbuildings broken into, using garden tools from the property – nothing stolen.

BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK :

boynhillcoxgreennhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n108

19/6  Tuesday 4.45 p.m.   College, Boyn Hill Avenue .  Derelict building vandalised

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT :

maidenheadriverside&belmontnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n192

19/6 – 20/6  Tuesday 10 p.m. / Wednesday 5 a.m.   Marlow Road .  Fuel stolen from a lorry, while the driver slept.

INNER MAIDENHEAD:

maidenheadtowncentrenhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n193

17/6 – 18/6  Sunday / Monday  York Court , Moorbridge Road .  2 bikes stolen from an INSECURE bike shed.

OLDFIELD & BRAY:

oldfield&braynhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n206

19/6  Tuesday 7.30 p.m. / 10.15 p.m.   The Causeway, Bray.  Car rear windscreen smashed – gym bag stolen from the boot.  Usually items like this are searched – in case there is anything valuable in the bag, then discarded somewhere.  If you do find it / contents please let us know on 101.

18/6  Monday 6.30 p.m.   Tithe Barn Drive .  Plant pot thrown through side patio door.  No attempt to break in.

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:

Pinkneysgreen&furzeplattnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n213

18/6  Monday 11 a.m. / 7 p.m.   Camley Park Drive .  Burglary.  Shovel from the property used to force a rear conservatory window and then smash the glass in an internal door to gain access to the house.  A safe was removed from the floor of a wardrobe using 2 garden spades and a garden fork.  Medals, jewellery, cash and silver plated cutlery stolen.

MEMBERS COMMENTS:

A NEW SCAM !

Hello Jeff,

I would like to tell you of an experience my 83-year-old mother in Glasgow had last week:

She had arranged with a local firm of roofers to have some repair work done.  They came to survey the roof on Friday morning, quoted a price, and said that they would return later in the day to do the repair. A few minutes after they had gone the doorbell went again, and a young man from the same company – he had a business card – said that his team had just had a cancellation and they could do the job almost immediately, at a reduced price.  He offered to write up the order in his documentation and asked for a pen to do so.  He followed my mother into the house, and proceeded to fill out an invoice (for the wrong price, which my mother corrected).  He then asked for the money up front.  My mother had become suspicious at this point, because of the lad’s seeming ignorance, of what had been agreed with the first quote, as well as his demeanour, and the way he contradicted himself.  So, she refused to pay anything, until the job had been done.  When he realised that he wasn’t going to get any money, he left (thank goodness! – it could have been a lot worse!).  My mother then phoned the company’s office to tell them of her suspicions.

In the meantime, the office had received a phone call, purporting to be from my mother, cancelling the job, saying that she had received a lower quote from someone else.  (This had happened to them quite frequently recently).  When my mother explained what had happened, they remembered that they had been approached by a young man outside my mother’s house, who had asked for their business card, as his sister needed someone to fix her roof (hmmm).  So, they called the police and my mother gave a description of the young man, and got her repair done by the original people as previously agreed.  The company are now a bit more wary about giving out their business cards, and follow up all cancellations by phone.

I don't know if you have heard of this scam before, but thought it might be useful to warn householders and local businesses.

Regards

CATRINE

We have a safer system here – for anyone of ‘pensionable’ age – ‘Repair With Care’.  They have a list of authorised tradesmen who have been vetted, checked out and are fully insured etc.  Once a job has been agreed and you and they are happy with the price, they oversee the work until it is complete and you authorise pay off.  They also have a handyman for small jobs at a very reasonable hourly rate.  We are very lucky to have such a service.  It takes the worry out of finding a plumber, electrician, plasterer, gardener etc etc.

Tel:  01628 545000

http://www.housingsolutions.co.uk/SupportedServices/Repairwithcare.aspx

NEXT:

Dear Jeffrey,

I feel a bit of a fool really, but will advise you anyway.

I saw a pretty flower in the back garden on Sunday lunchtime and wanted a photo of it, so I popped in for the camera via the side door of the house.  When I came back through the hall, I realised I had left some Waitrose bags in the kitchen.

I put the camera on the table and took the bags into the garage and locked them in the car. I then went back into the kitchen for the camera.  I noticed the door was ajar, and there was no sign of the camera.

I searched the house, car and garage.  This makes us believe, we had a visit from a walk in thief.

On Monday evening, we stood on the pavement and looked at the front of the house.  We noticed the lead flashing over the bay window, was all turned upwards like a trough.  We have had this corrected today and it has been confirmed, it had been disturbed.  The thief was unable to remove it, because it was set in the cement between the brick courses.

My local roofing contractor, said he also was also attending a house in Lanterns Walk, just behind  us, with a similar problem.

We live in The Farthingales in the Oldfield and Bray Neighbourhood, We do appreciate your daily reports . Keep up the good work!

Olive

I would like to thank Olive for coming forward and telling us her story.  This can happen so easily and we always think – or in fact we don’t think at all - that this will never happen to us.  A moment’s inattention.  What is amazing, is these types of things happen very infrequently in our lives, but when the do – an opportunist thief always seems to be right there, to take advantage of our mistake.  From now on – remember Olive !