Your local police station should have newsletters that you or anyone else can collect. They are produced to help you in terms of knowing about any new schemes or forms of crime that are occurring AND to empower you if you feel it’s something you wish to act on.
Currently Harrow Safer Neighbourhood Team has informed the residents about the following: ~
1. Property Marking Kit
Available to neighbourhood watch members is the loan of a property marking kit. The kit will be available through your contact point or your local safer neighbourhood team.
The plastic case contains several items of equipment including,
An electric engraver
An ultraviolet lamp
Diamond markers
Ceramic markers
Permanent markers
An alpha/numeric stencil
UV marker pens
Marked item record cards and labels
Record cards and labels2. Camera
Protect and record your valuablesHarrow police have purchased a Sony digital camera that stores images on a floppy disc; this is a very cheap storage format.
It is proposed that Neighbourhood watch contact points may book this camera out for a week at a time. Neighbourhood watch members may then use this camera to photograph their valuables and keep the floppy disc. (floppy discs will be provided as part of the service).
This record may then be used to produce photographs for their insurance company or assist the police in attempting to identify stolen property and restoring it to their rightful owners.
For further details, contact your local safer neighbourhood team.
3. Alloy Wheel Watch
A series of thefts have occurred recently where vehicles, particularly BMW’s, have had the wheels removed and the vehicles left on bricks.
There are numerous types of locking wheel nut on the market, however some are stronger than others. Although not endorsing this product specifically, we would recommend that you purchase a product equivalent in standard to the ‘McGard Ultra Lock’. These locks are Thatcham approved and have been tried and tested to withstand substantial attack. A recent review in Auto Express Magazine, dated May 2007 states:
‘Only criminals with a truly masochistic streak would bother to take on these nuts, as their hardened, chrome tops and slick spinning shrouds shrugged off all of our attempts to shift them. The unlocking keys have more than 1,000 designs, so there is no way you could make a master. Heavyweight power tools may defeat these bolts – but they would wreck the wheels in the process.’
There are other brands available.
If you wish to find out more about YOUR Safer Neighbourhood team ~ http://www.met.police.uk/saferneighbourhoods/