Day 68 - Safeguard your dog with Dogwatch

Dogwatch is a scheme designed to help stem the rising tide of dog theft and rural crime in the Thames Valley area. Dogwatch is entirely staffed and funded by volunteers, and works to help the police and RSPCA in the work that they do.

Volunteers circulate information regarding stolen dogs to their members, as well as to Police HQ, beat officers, Dog Wardens and re-homing centres. They also circulate details of all snoopers on members’ property to members and Police Headquarters - helping to prevent rural crime, and brief members on progress in the area by e-mail as well as holding regular meetings with the police.

HELP PREVENT RURAL CRIME

A Dogwatch spokesman said: “We can all help reduce the blight that has visited us in recent times. Poachers, thieves and vandals are often presented as petty criminals - there is nothing petty about the theft of farming equipment worth many thousands of pounds. If you see something suspicious, make a report to the Police and to us and we will circulate the details to our members.”

In an emergency, please contact Dogwatch on 07831 675555 if you feel the message needs to be passed to our members immediately. When reporting a dog related crime on 999 or 101, the message will automatically be relayed to headquarters at Kidlington and a relevant communication will be cascaded to all interested parties including: enighbourhood officers; dog wardens; re-homing centres etc, as well as our own members.

If it is a theft or suspicious activity that might be related to dog theft, tell the operator: "please link this incident to the Thames Valley Alert System." If you prefer to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

For more information visit www.dogwatchalert.com

DAY 67: Wildlife crime officer leads deer poaching operation as part of the national Project Trespass

Last night (22/1), the wildlife officer for Aylesbury, PC Dean Kingham, led a deer poaching operation using low light equipment.

The operation came after the England and Wales Poaching Priority Delivery Group launched a national campaign titled Project Trespass on the 1 October 2013.

 

Using low level lighting equipment during deer poaching operation

The aim of Project Trespass is to coordinate a response to poaching across England and Wales through:

Prevention: offering best advice to farmers, landowners, gamekeepers, shooting and land management organisations regarding measures to put in place to prevent poaching and disruption mechanisms

Intelligence: to allow the police to target offenders

Enforcement: with good intelligence the police can target poachers through the various rural and poaching based operations run throughout England and Wales

Reassurance: by working together and by publicising resulting actions such as activity, arrests, seizures and convictions.

(Above taken from the National Wildlife Crime Unit website)

Anyone who sees anything which might suggest hare coursing or poaching is happening in the area should report it to police via the 101 number or 999 if the crime is in progress.

Here is what you should look out for:

•  Groups of vehicles parked up in a rural area, perhaps to a gateway to farmland, bridle paths, farm tracks or grass verges.
• There will usually be estate cars, 4x4s or vans. They may have evidence of dogs inside like muddy paw prints or dog hairs.
•  Hare coursers often travel in convoy with transit vans at the front and rear and the cars in between
•  Lights or torches at night in wooded areas or across fields could be a sign of someone illegally hunting

 

Getting signed up to Thames Valley Alert

Earlier in the day, PSCOs continued to visit houses and farms in the Wing area to give out security information and sign residents up to the Thames Valley Alert messaging service.  They also went along to the Community Hub at Ivinghoe. In total 250 houses and 11 farms were visited in Wing and 72 people signed up to Alerts.

DAY 66: Man arrested for drug possession believed to be worth several thousand pounds during Neighbourhood and Local CID warrant

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs when a warrant was executed yesterday (22/1) at a campsite in Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury.

6am briefing at Waddesdon Police Station

The warrant took place early in the morning and upon searching the property, quantities of cannabis and a large amount of crystallised white powder believed to be mephadrone (also known as MCAT or meow meow) were found.

Searching the property outside...

...and inside

In addition, several thousand pounds in cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act, along with two dogs, after it was alleged the owner was believed to be under a court ruling preventing him from possessing animals.

The man, who is from Wotton Underwood, Aylesbury, has been released on bail until 14 February.

Day 65: Cottesloe School students continue to patrol with officers and spot potential crime risks

Yesterday (21/1) the Aylesbury Vale PCSOs were out hosting ‘have your say’ meetings at a number of locations.

The Waddesdon and Haddenham PCSOs went to various toddler groups and coffee mornings in Ickford and Worminghall which have been targeted for theft from vehicle offences recently. 

PCSOs in Wendover were highly visible on Manor Waste in the centre of the village

Buckingham PCSOs were at George Browns Ltd, horticultural machinery suppliers

Wing PCSOs signed up 72 people to Thames Valley Alert from various places along the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire borders.

Following on from Monday, students from Cottesloe School went out and about with local police officers to do some rural crime surveys in Stoke Hammond and Edlesborough. They spotted a potential crime target in the form of an unattended van with the back doors open, iPad left in view on the front seat and keys in the ignition!

Target for opportunist thieves!

A proactive operation began in the evening with ANPR over at Wing and then spread over to Buckingham later in the evening.  

Patrols took place where the Great Train Robbery happened over 50 years ago