One Bike Stolen Every Minute In UK

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Bicycle theft in the UK is rarely reported and people tend to remain non-committal when they witness one being stolen, according to recent research from a UK-based cycle parking equipment company, published in the York Press.

For the purposes of the research, ten bikes were left for an hour unattended but locked at a market. Over the course of the hour, people pretending to be thieves took the bikes one by one. Perhaps shockingly, not in one case did passers-by react and none of the “incidents” was reported to the police.

According to official data from the North Yorkshire Police, nearly 300 bikes were stolen in the area between June and September last year, meaning that an average of 94 bike thefts happen each month. Meanwhile, just one in 14 stolen bicycles is eventually returned to its owner.

Authors of the research comment that although Britons are largely encouraged to cycle, in order to reduce traffic, keep fit and bring down carbon emissions, there are no reliable cycle parking facilities and owners have to take individual care of their bikes. There is one bike stolen in the UK every minute, the researchers warn, which means that the chance of having your bike stolen is higher that having your car targeted by thieves.

Bike owners are advised to invest in taking better measures to secure their bikes, such as more advanced locks and registering the bike in a public database so that it can be tracked down more easily.

Burglars Break In To Key Safes In Colchester

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Burglars are gaining access to homes of vulnerable elderly people in Tiptree, Essex, by opening their key safes, police have warned.

The local forces have started an operation to target offenders who recently broke into several Colchester Council bungalows, occupied by senior residents, who keep a key to their home in a combination-locked box so that carers and family members can get in. Police will make sure that the bungalows are fitted with the most advanced safes that can’t be broken into.

According to Colchester Police’s crime reduction officer Colin Stiff the burglars have managed to open some of the key safes, while others have been ripped off the wall they were installed on, with the thieves returning to the bungalow later. In order to prevent future crimes, the officer claims all boxes should be replaced with more robust ones that will provide more security.

Rachel Fahie, chief officer of Age UK Colchester, said she was dismayed that the council scheme bungalows have been attacked. A spokesperson for the council says that the key safes are bought through the council’s helpline scheme and have been approved by local insurers but the option of buying new ones from an independent retailer may be considered.

Safe Options stock a wide choice of high security key safes and home safes.

Humberside Police Combat Burglary

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Humberside Police have managed to reduce crime rates in the area, according to the latest official figures for April-December 2011, the Scunthorpe Telegraph reports.

Compared to the same period in 2010 there were almost 200 fewer recorded crimes in the area. Three of the most common crimes – burglary, theft of vehicles and theft from vehicles, have also seen a reduction, thanks to the force’s commitment to tackle them, as they are often among the most disturbing crimes for the public.

The total number of crimes registered in the nine-month period was 10,119, 2% down from 10,317 in the previous year. Looking specifically at the crimes at the centre of law enforcement attention, domestic burglaries dropped by 5%, thefts of vehicles went down by 13% and thefts from vehicles decreased by an impressive 19%.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Clark comments that despite the encouraging figures, the local police will continue doing their job and keep working for a further reduction in crime.

Humberside Police also admit that there is a crime they find challenging to tackle – robbery. In fact, the number of robberies registered in 2011 increased 15% on an annual basis, reaching 91. DCI Clark says the police are committed to deal with the problem but what they need are methods for more advanced intelligence and prevention. He says that the top priority for the force is to deal with a group of individuals who are responsible for a large proportion of the crimes in the area. We believe choosing the correct safe aids in prevention.

Burton Police Offer Tips To Residents

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Police in Burton have issued warnings to local residents to protect their property from burglars after a recent series of break-ins in which homes, garages and sheds have been attacked, the Burton Mail reports.

Burglaries were registered in Burton, Stapenhill and Stretton, with thieves managing to make off with bikes, electrical devices and tools. A burglar with a crowbar also targeted the Riverside Hotel in Branston, but fled the scene after he was caught by the hotel manager.

According to Sergeant Gary Sargent from the local force, the police are currently investigating but people should be informed about steps they can take to protect their possessions. He reminds residents to lock their doors and windows but also to make sure garden gates and sheds are secured. The house should be secured, even if there are people in, as burglars can try to break in while homeowners are watching TV.

If a car has to be parked on the driveway, it also needs to be locked, with the keys kept in a safe place. It is not wise to keep the car keys by the front door, Sargent tells the Burton Mail. Here at Safe Options, we would recommend Key Storage Cabinets. Bicycles should be kept in a shed or a garage, too.

Local officers can also provide advice and assistance to residents, who are encouraged to call the police if they notice anything suspicious.

Ram-Raiders Steal Vehicles From Car Compound

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A vehicle compound has been ram-raided by masked individuals armed with baseball bats, who managed to steal three 4×4 cars, the Northampton Chronicle reports.

Three robbers attacked Paragon Automotive Ltd in Baird Road, Corby, and took off with three Range Rover Sport cars, each of them worth £45,000. The stolen vehicles have lately gained popularity as a top choice for a number of Premier League football players.

Initially the offenders managed to make a hole in the fence to gain access into the property and then they used a car to break into the inner section, where the cars were situated. Despite the fact that the robbers had baseball bats on them and they were confronted by the security guard, no one was hurt during the incident.

According to the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, tracking devices had been installed in the stolen vehicles and one of them has already been found in another county.

The local police stated that one of the cars is blue and the other two are white in colour and they called for any potential witnesses to the attack to contact police and help them solve the case.

Police Investigate Series Of Attacks Against Charity Shops

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Sentry MSW3110 Fire/Water Dial Combination SafeCallous burglars have attacked two neighbouring charity shops in Westcliff, Essex, causing damage of over £1,000 and putting one of them at risk of being closed down.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Mind charity shops were broken into by smashing the rear doors. The burglars had obviously targeted the safes and managed to take the one in the Mind shop, which is said to have contained hundreds of pounds. The safe belonging to the BHF was not stolen, despite obvious attempts to take it which resulted in the safe being damaged.

Employees at the BHF shop say that the damage caused by the burglars may mean the shop will have to close down, as it entirely depends on funds from the local community. A possible closure would mean that heart patients in the county might be deprived of vital support and care, so the staff have called for households to assist with small donations.

The local police think that the attacks are related. PC David Thompson, who is investigating the cases, explains that help from local people will be very welcome, in terms of both the BHF activity and the police investigation.

Bedfordshire Residents Urged To Help Prevent Car Crimes

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Portable Security Car and Home SafeCar owners in Bedfordshire have been encouraged to help the local police reduce the number of vehicle break-ins, according to Luton Today.

Recently there has been a rise in the number of thefts from cars in the region, with technology like satellite navigation systems, mobile phones and tablets being particularly attractive to thieves, as well as wallets and handbags left in the vehicles.

According to Detective Constable Michelle Sears of the Vehicle Crime Unit, more than 50% of car crimes are “preventable”, as offenders are lured by potentially valuable items displayed in the vehicle. Even a coat or an empty bag could make thieves believe they can lay their hands on something expensive.

Important papers, like bank accounts, letters and documents, should also be taken out of the car as they could result in fraud, including identity fraud.

Thieves are rarely worried about alarms, if they are certain to get something worth the risk from the car, the police say. The best way to prevent a potential attack on your vehicle is to leave nothing inside and to make sure that the windows, doors and sunroof are closed. If you must leave valuables in the car, ensure that they are out of sight and stored within a car safe.

Other tips to avoid attracting thieves’ attention include removing the stereo fascia and always checking that the car is locked after using a remote locking system.

Meanwhile, Bedfordshire police are actively trying to reduce car crimes by patrolling across areas with increased crime rates and implementing new intelligence measures.

Police Issue Advice To Prevent Gold Theft

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Police forces across the UK have advised residents to take preventive measures to protect their gold jewellery, as burglaries targeting gold items are becoming more common.

The warning refers particularly to areas with a concentration of Asian communities, including parts of London, Leicester, Reading and Birmingham, where gold is traditionally kept by families in their homes. Police advise community members not to keep their jewellery at home, or if they are unwilling to use banks, they should invest in safes which are up to industry standards and install an alarm in the property. Owners are also advised to take photographs of their gold possessions and keep a detailed register, so that they can be identified, should the need arise.

The price of gold has hit record levels and burglars and robbers have been trying to get their hands on items made of the precious metal. Jewellery shop owners have also been warned to protect their business. Shop owners from Bradford have been gearing up, following police advice, and are installing CCTV surveillance cameras and metal shutters. Some of them have gone even further, having bulletproof glass, two time-lock doors and a metal grille, as well as CCTV.

Remaining alert and protecting one’s house or shop might lead to identifying the culprits and catching them later, the police are convinced. Thanks to camera footage, 14 arrests were made in just a few days in the Midlands, the Guardian reports.

York Anti-Graffiti Team To Receive Royal Award

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A group of York citizens dedicated to the mission of keeping the City of York clean from graffiti are to receive an award at Buckingham Palace.

The group, called Taking Action Against Graffiti (TAAGY), have been operating for over three years and aim to identify people who draw and write on public buildings. In 2008 graffiti artists sprayed paint all over the city and council workers had to clean the walls, costing local taxpayers thousands of pounds. This triggered public reaction and TAAGY was formed.

The group was established by the North Yorkshire Police, the local probation service, the City of York Council and the Safer York partnership and its work is facilitated by a confidential online database. Thanks to stored information, including photographic images of graffiti from all over the city, newly emerging scribblings can be identified and cleaned up and the culprits tracked down.

The project is quite effective, as offenders currently provide over 150 hours of free labour per month, while York taxpayers are saved £30,000 for cleaning the graffiti.

Four of the leading TAAGY members, representing the groups forming the partnership, have been invited to Buckingham Palace in March, where the Princess Royal will give awards on behalf of the Butler Trust to 42 prison and probation workers from across the UK.

Norfolk Named England’s Safest Place

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According to figures from the Home Office, Norfolk has once again been declared the safest county in England, closely followed by Devon and Cornwall.

Norfolk’s police achievement sounds even more impressive, bearing in mind that the county topped the league last year and the crime rates were still brought down by a further 1% over the period between October 2010 and September 2011, from 43,115 to 42,697. The county performs well in another aspect, too, ranking at number six for detecting crime.

In addition, Norfolk has the second lowest rate of serious acquisitive crimes, including burglary, robbery and vehicle theft, with a mere six crimes per 1,000 residents. The number of burglaries in Norfolk fell by 250 last year, while there were 203 fewer thefts from vehicles. The overall crime rate for the whole country stands at about 66 per 1,000, whereas Norfolk boasts a rate of 50 per 1,000.

Deputy Chief Constable Simon Bailey from the local police force explains that despite the good news, the police will not stop there and will strive to achieve lower levels of crime in the region, in partnership with local authorities.

The public can also do their bit to protect their property and possessions by taking simple security measures themselves. This could be anything from installing a safe to protect valuables to upgrading locks.