Thames Valley Alert

Bellingdon Village Neighbourhood Watch (NW) New coordinator needed

~ bacaadmin
For many years the NW scheme covering the whole of Bellingdon Village has been managed by Alan Page, as you will be aware. Alan has given his community many hours of voluntary service over this time, and I’m sure that you and other residents will be grateful to him for this.

Now Alan is hanging up his Neighbourhood Watch sign and retiring from this role. Having an active NW scheme is a key part of the village’s defence against criminals, so it is important to everyone in the community that a new Coordinator steps forward. Could that be you?

Rest assured that this is not an onerous role, even though an important one. These days most interaction is by email, although it is naturally vital to cater for those residents who do not use this technology. In taking over this existing scheme most of the work has been done, and I can promise my active support for the newcomer too.

So, please contact me if you are wiling to consider taking over from Alan – and it will be great if several of you offer at once, so the role is not all on one individual!I look forward to hearing from you shortly!RegardsDavid  
Message Sent By
David Alder
(NWN, Area Representative, MSA, Thames Valley, South Buckinghamshire ( East))
[This message was sent via Thames Valley Alert system. If you would like to respond please either register for the TVA system (https://www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/) or email contact@bellingdon.com and we’ll pass your message on, in confidence.]

TVP: Warning To Vehicle Owners Following Increase In Catalytic Converter Thefts Across the Thames Valley

~ bacaadmin

Thames Valley Police is issuing a warning to motorists following an increasing number of thefts of catalytic converters.

Offenders are most commonly targeting parked Toyota Prius, Toyota Auris, Honda Jazz, Honda Civic, Honda CRVs and Lexus RX400 vehicles.

Officers are investigating the offences, many of which are believed to be linked.

Since the start of the year, there have been 1,210 offences reported to the force up to the end of November, with an increasing number of reports since August.

In many of the cases, offenders use car jacks to lift the vehicle and are able to remove the catalytic converter in a matter of minutes.

Detective Superintendent Jim Weems, Head of Intelligence, said: “We are taking these offences seriously and investigating in our efforts to identify and arrest offenders.

“It appears there are a number of factors contributing to the increase in the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles. Significantly, they contain precious metals, from which criminals are profiting.

“Not only does it cause distress and inconvenience, it is likely to cost victims to replace it and repair any damage to the vehicle.”

There are a number of steps you can take to try to protect your vehicle’s catalytic converter. Please speak to your vehicle’s manufacturer to establish what locks and guards are available.

If your catalytic converter is ‘bolt on,’ you can speak to a mechanic about having the bolts welded shut.

When parking in a car park and having to leave your vehicle unattended, try to park with the front of your car against a wall and avoid parking at the end of a row. This makes it harder for offenders to gain access.

When at home, if you can, park your vehicle in a locked garage or, if that is not possible, park in a busy well-lit area, as close to your property as possible. You can also consider installing a Thatcham-approved alarm to your vehicle, one that activates when the vehicle is lifted or tilted offers effective protection. You can also mark your catalytic converter with a forensic marker.

Det Supt Weems added: “You may see what appears to be people carrying out repairs or work to a car but please look closely and report any suspicious activity to us immediately. Within moments, the catalytic converter may be gone. If you see such a crime in progress, please call 999 immediately.”

Anyone with any information about catalytic converter thefts should call the non-emergency number 101 or make a report on our website.

Message Sent By
Hannah Jones (Police, Communications Officer, Thames Valley)