Partnership advice brings down crime
Vehicle crime in Nuneaton has gone down 20 per cent following a targeted local awareness raising campaign.
A spate of offences in the north and west parts of the town involving thefts of and from vehicles prompted the local agencies to work in partnership to take action.
The partnership – a collaboration between the county council and Warwickshire Police - wrote to residents in the area that lived near to a victim informing them of the problem and offering advice on crime prevention. In the three months since making this contact, a significant drop in crime has been noted.
Whilst crime is going down, the partnership advises residents to remain vigilant and take note of a few useful tips to help reduce the chance of becoming a crime victim.
•Never leave a car unattended with the keys in the ignition
•Always remove valuable items from within the car
•Clean the circle off the windscreen that is left by a SATNAV.
•DO NOT ‘hide’ items in the glove box instead of removing them as thieves know where to look.
•Never leave private mail or information with private addresses in your vehicle
•Do NOT leave the windows, sunroof or roof open with items in the car
•Always put car keys out of sight within the house
Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection said: “By pooling resources and presenting a united front to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime, the partnership has effectively addressed another local issue - making it easier for residents to protect themselves from theft.
“Members of the team regularly meet with residents to discuss local issues and work hard to address any problems that arise, allaying their fears and offering practical and helpful advice.”
Community Safety Project Officer, Helen Earp, added: “All our projects are based on local needs and we use feedback from members of the public and details of police reports to help plan our activities.
“We know that this approach works and has been used since to target areas that have seen spikes in burglary so will continue to work this way in the future to continue to improve community safety for all residents.”