Royston Community Team

Rural Watch

February 2007

Covering Arbury, Ermine, Weston & Sandon Wards.

Mobile Phones always seem to be a prime target for crooks. However there is a serial number on the phone that will make them useless. You must retrieve this number yourself and store it and in the unlucky event that your phone is lost or stolen give this number to your phone provider and they can turn the phone off, making it useless to the offenders.

To get this number press ‘STAR HASH 0 6 HASH’ and it will appear.

POLICE ‘trap cars’ are being deployed across Hertfordshire to deter criminals from breaking into vehicles.

Signs will appear in car parks across the county warning of the use of trap cars. Look out for the bright yellow signs in public or private car park near you emblazoned with the words: “Car Thieves Beware – break in and you could get more than you’ve bargained for.”

Unmarked cars designed to look like any other cars, but belonging to the police, are used to catch those who choose to ignore warnings.

Detective Superintendent Bob Saunders, head of the Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Group said: “We have used trap cars in the county for some months now and we have arrested thieves and gained some vital intelligence. This campaign will up the stakes for thieves. We will display signs in many car parks and public places announcing the use of trap cars. I want thieves to consider that any time they break into or try to steal a vehicle we could be watching them. The use of this methodology significantly increases the chances of thieves being caught.”

Hinxworth	High Street	08/01/07, 1510 - 1540	24 veh / 30 mph / 23.3 mph
Ashwell	West end / Newham way	26/01/07, 1005 - 1035	38 veh / 30 mph / 23.2 mph
Ashwell	Station rd (40 limit)	24/01/07, 1035 - 1105	21 veh / 51 mph / 33.1 mph
Weston	Damask green rd	26/01/07, 1120 - 1150	17 veh / 34 mph / 23.1 mph
Rushden	Moon + Stars	10/01/07, 1235 - 1255	26 veh / 31 mph / 26.1 mph
Bygrave	Upper Bygrave	08/01/07, 1540 - 1610	18 veh / 39 mph / 29.7 mph
Barley	London Road	10/01/07, 1050 - 1110	30 veh / 36 mph / 28.2 mph
Barkway	Royston Road	10/01/07, 1120 - 1140	20 veh / 34 mph / 24.9 mph
Therfield	Hay Green	23/01/07, 1505 - 1535	22 veh / 33 mph / 26.4 mph
Newham	Ashwell road	24/01/07, 1125 - 1155	23 veh / 34 mph / 27 mph

G4E; - Ashwell, Hinxworth, Hinxworth, Newnham & Caldecote

A number of catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles parked in Ashwell between Wednesday 10^th and Thursday 11^th January. (Crime Ref. G4/07/44).

G4D; - Barkway, Barley, Reed, Nuthampstead, Newsells, Kelshall & Therfield

The roof of a shed in Periwinkle Close, Barkway, was damaged sometime between Monday 8^th and Friday 12^th January. A sharp implement was used to cut a hole in the felt roof in a possible attempt to steal something from inside. (Crime Ref. G4/07/112).

A red Honda Motorcycle was stolen from the car park at Therfield Heath during the morning of Sunday 21^st January. (Crime Ref. G4/07/98).

A house in the High Street, Barkway was broken into at approximately 3.20am on Saturday 27^th January. It would appear that the burglars, who entered the house via a ground floor window, which they had forced, were disturbed by a burglar alarm installed at the premises. (Crime Ref. G4/07/114).

A local resident became the victim of an assault when he challenged a male riding a scrambler bike in Rooks Nest Lane, Therfield during the afternoon of Sunday 28^th January. One male, who had been riding with a group of others, swore at the victim before pushing him in the face with his hand. (Crime Ref. G4/07/119).

An orange Fiat Hitachi excavator was stolen from farmland in Reed sometime between Saturday 27^th and Monday 29^th January. (Crime Ref. G4/07/123).

G3C; - Sandon, Wallington, Rushden, Clothal & Weston

An item of agricultural machinery was stolen from farmland situated in Clothall Road sometime between Tuesday 2^nd and Friday 5^th January. (Crime Ref. G3/07/23).

Would be thieves were disturbed at Baldock Radio Station in Wallington at approximately 8pm on Monday 15^th January. Staff on site were alerted to vehicle headlights within the compound and when they went to investigate, found that four metal fence panels had been damaged. At least two male trespassers were seen to leave the compound in a dark coloured 4 x 4 vehicle, possibly a land rover or a range rover. (Crime Ref. G3/07/56).

A catalytic converter was stolen from a Vauxhall Astra van which had been parked in Wallington between Wednesday 17^th and Saturday 20^th January.

(Crime Ref. G3/07/74).

HERTFORDSHIRE Constabulary, working in partnership with the DVLA, will be running an operation in upcoming months aimed at clamping down on illegal numberplates in Hertfordshire. The operation will involve road safety checks of vehicles, paying particular attention to the lawfulness of numberplates.

There are currently around 32 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain, with an estimated 65,000 registered in Hertfordshire. The trend in personalised registration marks has been growing steadily for a number of years and whilst a vast majority of registration marks and index plates are displayed correctly and in accordance with the applicable legislation, there is a growth in the use of illegally represented index plates and registration marks.

Current legislation covering index plates relates to both the suppliers of plates and those who purchase and use them. The legislation requires the index plate to be manufactured and presented in particular way, and specifies the size, spacing, font and colours of characters.

Rogue number plate suppliers, many of whom are known to operate in the Hertfordshire area can, and sometimes do, falsify number plates for criminal use. Honest law abiding motorists are increasingly being bothered as a consequence of offences committed by persons displaying their registration marks on other vehicles. These plates do not necessarily have to be stolen from vehicles but can be obtained illegally from rogue suppliers.

Before selling a number plate the supplier is required by law to seek proof that the customer is entitled to the registration mark, normally through sight of the registration certificate, as well as requesting proof of identity. A record must also be kept of the documents presented

Total for 2003 – 2004 = 80

Total for 2004 – 2005 = 26

Total for 2005 – 2006 = 6

Reported Hare coursing Incidents in our area.

	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	April
03-04	3	13	28	3	8	13	9	3
04-05	4	13	4	0	4	0	1	0
05-06	0	3	0	0	1	1	1	0
06-07	0	4	4	6	1

Last time we attended

RUSHDEN	01/02/06	SANDON	08/02/06
THERFIELD	12/04/06	REED	24/05/06
BARKWAY	11/07/06	BARLEY	08/01/07
KELSHALL	24/04/06	NUTHAMP	03/05/06
ASHWELL	06/12/06	BYGRAVE	08/01/07
CALDECOTE	21/04/05	WESTON	08/06/06
RADWELL	26/04/05	WALLIGTON	01/02/06
HINXWORT	07/06/05	CLOTHALL	29/11/06

Area	Last Meeting	Next Meeting	Location and Time
G4E		31^st January 2007	Parish Rooms, Ashwell 7.30pm
G4D	7^th December 2006
G3C	19^th September 2006

Please click on the below link to meet some of the people we wish to becomes friends with.

http://www.herts.police.uk/CCTV/gallery.htm

Rural Watch

February 2007

G4E; - Ashwell, Hinxworth, Hinxworth, Newnham & Caldecote

G4D; - Barkway, Barley, Reed, Nuthampstead, Newsells, Kelshall & Therfield

A red Honda Motorcycle was stolen from the car park at Therfield Heath during the morning of Sunday 21st January. (Crime Ref. G4/07/98).

A house in the High Street, Barkway was broken into at approximately 3.20am on Saturday 27th January. It would appear that the burglars, who entered the house via a ground floor window, which they had forced, were disturbed by a burglar alarm installed at the premises. (Crime Ref. G4/07/114).

G3C; - Sandon, Wallington, Rushden, Clothal & Weston

Jan

RUSHDEN

SANDON

THERFIELD

ASHWELL

BYGRAVE

CALDECOTE

Please click on the below link to meet some of the people we wish to becomes friends with.

A red Honda Motorcycle was stolen from the car park at Therfield Heath during the morning of Sunday 21^st January. (Crime Ref. G4/07/98).

A house in the High Street, Barkway was broken into at approximately 3.20am on Saturday 27^th January. It would appear that the burglars, who entered the house via a ground floor window, which they had forced, were disturbed by a burglar alarm installed at the premises. (Crime Ref. G4/07/114).