This page contains community messages from Thames Valley Police
Theft from insecure vehicles – South Oxfordshire
In recent weeks there has been an increase in theft from vehicles in the South Oxfordshire area. Incidents have occurred in Stadhampton, Berinsfield, Drayton St Leonard, Nuffield, Harpsden and Lower Shiplake.
Offender(s) have stolen property from insecure vehicles parked in village locations during the early hours of the morning. A dark coloured VW Passat Estate vehicle with a white male occupant has been seen in the area and may be involved in these thefts.
Residents are advised to LOCK their vehicles at night or when left unattended and remove Sat Navs, mobile phones or other valuable items.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
Burglary – Swale Drive, Didcot
On Tuesday 6th March between 16:30hrs and 20:12hrs a property in Swale Drive, Didcot was burgled. Offender(s) gained entry by smashing the glass on a conservatory door then opening it. Property stolen included a camera, jewellery and cash.
Residents are being advised to lock doors and remove keys from the inside at night and when going out.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
Property recovered – New Road, East Hagbourne
Thames Valley Police are trying to locate the owners of property which is believed to have been stolen, and has been recovered in New Road, East Hagbourne, Didcot.
The property includes:
Portman and Mason bottle of port in a wooden box
Signed Watford football shirt
Silver spear and Jackson chainsaw
Stihl 400 watt handsaw
If you recognise any of these items, please contact PC 6211 Gareth Lewis, Didcot CID on the police non emergency telephone number 101.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
Burglary - Didcot
On Tuesday 28th February between 12:00hrs and 22:15hrs, a property in Freeman Road, Didcot, was burgled. Property stolen included 2 laptops computers and a MP3 Ipod Nano. It is believed entry was gained through a rear upstairs window or via the conservatory.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
Distraction Burglary - Thame
On Monday 27th February between 18:15hrs and 18:30hrs, a property in Horton Close, Thame, was the target of a Distraction Burglary. Offenders knocked on the window of the property and stated they were police officers and were looking for a burglar in the area. They asked to look inside the house and were let in. One male entered and went into a rear bedroom, whist a second male waited outside. After a couple of minutes both left and the victim realised cash was missing.
There were two further Distraction Burglaries, one in Princes Risborough and another in Aylesbury on the same day, where two males called on an elderly and a vulnerable resident stating to be police officers in order to gain entry to their properties. Cash was stolen during both incidents.
The offenders are described as two
white males, dark hair, wearing dark clothing with one being shorter in height than the other.
Please keep a look out for any elderly or vulnerable residents and advise them NOT to open the door to any unexpected visitors. If someone calls at their property claiming to be police officers, they should ask them to show identification then call the police non-emergency telephone number 101 to verify this. A police officer would be happy to wait whilst checks are carried out.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
Burglary and attempted burglary - Didcot
On Thursday 16th February, between 09:30hrs and 14:48hrs, a property in The Broadway, Didcot was burgled. Offender(s) broke into a shed and took a garden fork which was used to force a rear patio door and gain entry to the property. An untidy search was carried out and jewellery stolen.
There was an attempted burglary in Slade Road, Didcot on 14th February. Offender(s) tried to force a rear patio door and a rear window. The alarm was activated and no entry was gained.
Residents are being asked to make sure all garden tools are locked away and to make sure any sheds, garages or outbuildings are properly secured. Try to secure any access points leading to the rear of your property and lock side gates.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
END
New service being trialled in Didcot to combat hate crime
Mantra, a new service for people affected by hate crime in Oxfordshire, is being piloted in parts in the county, including Didcot. The other areas are Banbury, Bicester and Blackbird Leys.We would always advise that people report hate crimes to the police in the first instance.
However, the new Mantra service enables victims or witnesses of hate crime to report incidents to other agencies as an alternative to reporting to the police.
Fortunately, hate crime is rare in South Oxfordshire but if it does happen, we want people to feel confident about reporting it so it can be stopped.
Anybody wanting to report a hate incident or crime to Mantra can do so by visiting or phoning a reporting centre or reporting online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/oxfordshire-mantra.
For the pilot in Didcot, Mantra has reporting centres at the Didcot Citizens Advice Bureau (Dales, 9-5 High Street, Didcot – tel. 01235 750750) and Soha (Royal Scot House, 99 Station Road, Didcot – tel. 01235 515800).
The South and Vale Community Safety Partnership have provided some funding to support the pilot.
END
Email Scam
We are aware that an email entitled 'Population Census: a message to everyone - act now' is being circulated, allegedly in the name of National Statistician, Jil Matheson. This email demands individuals provide further personal information, supposedly for the Census and threatens fines for non-compliance.
This email is a scam and a hoax. It has no connection whatsoever with the National Statistician, the 2011 Census or the Office for National Statistics.
We believe the links in the email could download malware to any computer where the user clicks on the links. This could put your personal data, including financial information, at risk.
Anyone receiving this, or similar emails, should delete them, not open any links and certainly not provide any information.
For more information on how to protect yourself from this type of threat, please see www.getsafeonline.org
If you wish to, please report receipt of any such suspicious emails to www.actionfraud.org.uk
ONS takes the protection of personal census information extremely seriously. Collection of census data was completed last year and no further requests will be forthcoming from the Office for National Statistics relating to the 2011 Census.
END
Thames Valley goes live with 101
Thames Valley Police is due to go live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number on 14 November 2011, which will replace the 0845 8 505 505 number. Both numbers will run side by side until the end of March, but if demand for the 0845 8 505 505 number drops it may be discontinued earlier.
Calls to 101 (from both landlines and mobile networks) cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day the call is made, or the duration of the call.
Everyone calling the police for non-emergency matters will now know exactly how much a call will cost them, and can be assured of equal access whether they are on a pay-as-you-go mobile or a home landline.
The routing will be based on the same system as 999 calls. If a caller is using a landline the routing will be based on the caller’s postcode and the call will be directed to the same area’s force. If a caller is using a mobile, the call will route using the mast that the phone is transmitting from.
If a call is made to 101 within a force area that has not yet ‘gone live’, the caller will hear a recorded message telling them to redial using the relevant non emergency number.
END