Crime: 28 June 2013  

Insp. Stuart Bosley the head of local CID has asked me to put out a general warning, about ‘walk in thefts’ in Cookham.  As the summer approaches – we are still waiting – people are working in their gardens and leaving back / side doors closed, but not locked - so that they can come and go.  Opportunist thieves know this and simply try their hand.  They walk down side accesses, to see if back doors have been left unlocked.  If they are, they simply walk in.  The most common items stolen in this way, are ladies handbags stolen from worktops.  They are in and out – silently – in seconds.

If you disturb them, they have an answer ready.  In shock, you will ask what they are doing in your kitchen ?  They will respond – ‘I am looking for Peter / John – whatever – doesn’t he live here’ ?  While you stammer back ‘No’ !  They are gone – with your handbag, purse credit cards the lot !  Tedious I know, but you must lock the door each time you go out – unless you can see the door from wherever you are working / sitting.

BEWARE OPPORTUNIST THIEVES WAITING FOR YOU TO HAVE MADE A MISTAKE.

We had the old money changing scam at a shop in Cox Green Lane on Thursday.  An offender hands over a note and then confused the person behind the counter by saying they do not have enough change.  The banter goes on and on and they make a great deal of fuss as the shop fills up and eventually, to get them to leave, the assistant hands over whatever was asked for !  Know this is happening and be aware !

I have had this in from the Nottingham Alert system:

We are being made aware of a new scam around cash machines and would like to remind everyone to be security conscious. Please be aware of people crowding you or standing close to you. The scam involves people see what the security number is as it is entered, then as the card is ejected by the ATM a distraction is caused and a person quickly reaches over, grabs the card whilst you are distracted and runs off with the ability then to use another ATM to withdraw cash.

We have had this happen here.  Please be aware and make sure that when you use a cash till, no-one is around you.  What happened here was you would be withdrawing money.  At the critical moment a young woman – usually foreign – would come up and ask you for directions – or any other distraction.  While you turn to speak to her, an accomplice reaches over and removes the cash / card and walks away quickly.  When you turn back – both are gone – and you haven’t even seen the accomplice !

Just be aware.

MAIDENHEAD CENTRAL:

maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

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

/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n391.htm

NO CRIME TO REPORT.

RIVERSIDE & BELMONT:

maidenheadcentralnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

27/6  Thursday 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.  Wayside Mews.  Outer pane of glass in a portalight window smashed.

27/6  Thursday 4.45 a.m. / 5.30 a.m.  Cookham Road.  Building site entered – a tool had been used to cut the links in a fence – a pallet of insulation panels stolen.  A witness had seen vehicles visiting the site and removing items and called the police AS THEY THOUGHT IT WAS SUSPICIOUS AT THAT TIME OF THE MORNING – well done !  The police were give the index numbers of the vehicles being used and put them onto our ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) system.  There was an activation in Windsor and a team were immediately sent out to track them down.  They found a vehicle which was seized and the driver arrested on suspicion of theft.  This involved an enormous amount of commitment and teamwork and all based upon a member of the public, who thought they had seen something that was suspicious and phoned it through !!

MAIDENHEAD WEST

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

maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

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

/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n393.htm

27/6 – 28/6  Thursday 10 p.m. / Friday 6.30 a.m.  Lower Road, Cookham Rise.  Burglary.  Entry VIA AN INSECURE REAR DOOR – search of downstairs.  X Box, electrical items and a handbag & contents stolen.

26/6  Wednesday 9.25 p.m.  / 11 p.m.  Car Park, Sutton Road, Cookham.  Car rear windscreen smashed – 2 overnight bags and contents stolen.  Have these been searched nearby and unwanted items discarded ?

PINKNEYS GREEN & FURZE PLATT:

maidenheadwestnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

26/6  Wednesday 8.30 a.m. / 4 p.m.  Furze Platt Road.  Front and rear index plates stolen

MAIDENHEAD SOUTH

BOYN HILL, COX GREEN & WOODLANDS PARK:

maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Neighbourhood Page:

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

/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n392.htm

NO CRIME TO REPORT.

OLDFIELD & BRAY:

maidenheadsouthnhpt@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

NO CRIME TO REPORT.

MEMBERS’ COMMENTS:

A REMINDER – THE PHONE SCAM IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL IN THE Royal borough !

Hi jeff,

A while ago you warned us all of a scam involving the delivery of 2 phones by a courier company when you have not in fact ordered them.  This is followed by a phone call to say they have been delivered to the wrong address & someone will be along to collect them. Just to let you know that this is still going on, as it happened to us this week.

We informed the caller, as advised, that we had taken the phones to the Police Station.

Vivienne

Well Done Vivienne – you have to keep a cool head to do this, but know you will get the phone call, if the phones are delivered by courier – if we all do this, they won’t bother to do it here !

NEXT THE Paypal SCAM:

Hi Jeff

Another email doing the rounds is PayPal asking you to update your details so you can continue to use the service if you get one of these forward it to spoof@paypal.co.uk

Regards

Rob

ANOTHER SCAM FROM – APPARENTLY FROM H.M. REVENUE AND CUSTOMS:

Jeffrey,

I received this, Not sure if you want to warn others of this or report it up the chain.

Regards,

Diane

Many thanks Diane. It is the usual email saying you are due a tax rebate – please click the link to complete the online claim form !  DON’T.

FINALLY A REALLY GOOD RESULT RE DODGY BUILDERS –

If you see work being done on an elderly neighbour’s house, it may well be legitimate, but let us all err on the side of safety.  Email the address to your local Neighbourhood Team.  Their Group email addresses are above.  We will arrange for a PCSO to walk past and gently ask some questions.  BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY – SEE BELOW HOW MUCH MIGHT BE INVOLVED !

Thames Valley Police secures £150,000 of Confiscation Orders

Thames Valley Police has secured confiscation orders totalling £153,591 at a court hearing in Reading against six men convicted of defrauding an elderly couple from Wokingham.

In 2011, Thames Valley Police conducted an investigation into the fraudulent obtaining of a significant amount of money from the couple, who were targeted and charged large sums for work to be undertaken on their home, which was never carried out.

The police investigation estimated that more than £360,000 was obtained from the couple.

Following the investigation, six people were charged and convicted of Laundering Fraudulently Obtained Funds through their bank accounts and in November 2012: Joseph Musa, aged 45, of Reading;

Aaron Morris, aged 28, of Addlestone, Surrey;

Tarek Lahouag, aged 46, of Westerham, Kent;

Michael Devanny, aged 34, of Bishops Stortford, Herts;

John Millen, aged 47, of Sittingbourne, Kent and

Nicholas Barne, aged 42, of Cwmbran, Gwent,

all received custodial sentences for money laundering.

At the same time, confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act were started against all of the defendants; Millen and Barne immediately agreed that they had benefited by £62,000 and £55,000 respectively, and that these were available amounts.

Confiscation orders for these amounts were issued by the court.

At a Confiscation Hearing at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (20/6), Confiscation Orders were issued by the court against Musa, Morris, Lahouag and Devanny and it was agreed by the court that these four had benefited by £18,000, £18,300, £45,000 and £27,000 respectively.

Based on the available amounts identified, Confiscation Orders against these four amounted to a further £36,591 (including an ISA balance held by a restraint order and a BMW car held by Thames Valley Police).

Confiscation Orders against all six men amount to £153,591, and the full amount will be repayable as compensation to the elderly victims in this case. To date, £85,000 has been paid back as compensation.

Det Insp Gavin Tyrrell, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “These confiscation orders send a clear message to criminals that by laundering the proceeds of their own, or others’ criminality, they become a target themselves and are at serious risk of losing their assets, in whatever form and however they are derived.

“Thames Valley Police will vigorously pursue the criminals that target the vulnerable in our communities to make sure that crime will not pay.”

AN UPDATE ON THE SUMMER DRINK DRIVE CAMPAIGN !!

Thames Valley Police have arrested 196 people on suspicion of drink-driving, since the start of the summer drink-drive campaign on Saturday 1 June.

The ‘Is it worth the risk?’ campaign is aimed at targeting drink and drug drivers over the summer months.

Of those arrested, 165 were men (84 per cent) and 31 were female (16 per cent). So far this year this shows there has been a 20 per cent increase in arrests of men (up from 138 last year) and a 20 per cent reduction in arrests of women (down from 39 last year).

In total, 73 of the arrested people have been charged, with 86 bailed, 1 cautioned and 36 released with no further action.

This year’s arrests show a 14 per cent decrease on the 227 arrests made during the same period in 2012.

This is the wording at the bottom of all Alert messages sent out by Nottingham Police:

If you have any information relating to the above criminal activity e.g. did you or anyone you know witness one of the incidents ? Do you know who the person/s responsible are ? Have you noticed any suspicious activity prior to any incident? Do you have any CCTV that may be of help ?  If so, please call the police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

It seems we all want you to do the same thing !