DAY 42: Rural crime prevention event at Countrywide Chipping Norton

Last Wednesday (11/12) PCSO Angela Alford from the Banbury Rural neighbourhood team hosted a crime prevention event at Chipping Norton’s Countrywide store. 

Giving advice: PCSO Angela Alford talks to local people about crime prevention

Crime Prevention at Countrywide Chipping Norton

“It was a successful day offering crime prevention advice and giving out lots of farm packs and information; particularly a lot of advice on shed and garage security” said Angela. “I spoke with people from the Banbury area and people who live further out in West Oxfordshire who had seen the Thames Valley Alert for the event and decided to come in and see so it was a very well attended event.”

 

The Thames Valley Police website has recently been updated with advice around building security including, outbuilding, farmhouse and general home crime prevention.

Meanwhile, PCSO Lana Smith visited Crouch Farm with the area’s Crime Prevention and Reduction Adviser Jayne Taylor and security marked several items for the owner. 

Security marking at Crouch Farm

If you are interested in security marking your property, you can get in touch with your local neighbourhood policing team either via email (use the postcode search function on the website to find your local team) or call 101 and ask to speak to your local neighbourhood team.

In the meantime, the CRE-Mark and Smartwater websites can offer some advice about unique security property marking. 

Valuables can also be registered on the Immobilise website. Immobilise is a national database all police forces use when they have found stolen property. If your stolen valuables are registered on the database you are more likely to have them returned to you, if they are recovered by police. You can register all sorts of valuable property on the site and it is free to use!

DAY 41: Crime prevention day held at Pets at Home in Banbury and the team work in partnership with oil companies to prevent thefts of heating oils

As the colder weather approaches, many residents will be having frequent deliveries of heating oil. The Bicester Neighbourhood Policing Team joined Nolan Oils on their rounds last week, to give customers and residents advice relating to oil and fuel thefts.

Setting out at 7am from the depot in Middleton Stoney, the team visited addresses in Chesterton, Wendlebury, Weston on the Green, Hampton Poyle, Combe, Witney and Tackley. Many residents were glad to see the Police working with other companies to tackle problems within the rural community and all received some useful advice around seasonal crimes. 

Here are some top tips for keeping your heating oil and fuel protected from thieves:

•  Defensive planting is nature's way of helping reduce crime: Thieves will not want to fight their way through or over a thorny hedge. Ripped clothing or blood may help the police identify an offender.
• Consider restricting access to the tank with walls, fences and trellising. This should be constructed in close proximity to the tank.
• Consider protecting the tank with metal cages, grills and guards, these are available with lockable access points. Ensure someone is available when the tank needs to be filled.
• Closed shackle padlocks offer the most resistance to the bolt cropper
• Security Lighting: If your tank is visible from your home, this can deter thieves. Low level “dusk til dawn" or PIR motion detection lighting can be effective crime deterrent.
• Remember to check the oil level in your tank regularly, look for any spilt fuel, marks on the locks or anything else suspicious.

You may also find useful information on the Oilsave and OFTEC websites. 

Tuesday (16/12) was a busy day for the 100 days of action team over in Banbury who held a crime prevention day at Pets at Home. 

Crime prevention stall at Pets at Home, Banbury

The team were able to speak to people who live in rural areas and talk about any issues or worries they may have about crime in their area as well as identify people who may be particularly vulnerable to rural crimes.

Last week, PC Gordon Richardson and Regional Watch Co-ordinator Deborah Hextall travelled around West Oxfordshire visiting farm suppliers, stables and riding schools to offer tack security marking and crime prevention advice and also signed people up to the Country Watch Alerts messaging service. Countrywide and Witney Farm Suppliers have expressed an interest in holding their own tack marking days in early 2014. You can sign up to Country Watch Alert to keep an eye out for these events! 

Tack marking at the Agricultural College,. Witney

PC Richardson and Deborah rounded up their week by visiting the Agricultural College in Witney and gave a talk to the students about Country Watch and the work Thames Valley Police have been doing to tackle rural crime. The College are also interested in holding a tack marking event in May 2014 when they hold horse shows.

The team will continue to visit farms over the coming weeks.

DAY 40: TVP work with MOD to eliminate people walking their dogs near livestock in West Oxfordshire

The Cherwell and West Oxfordshire Local Policing Area (LPA) began the Force’s winter phase of the 100 days of action to tackle rural crime.

Once again, each of the rural policing areas within the Thames Valley will conduct five days of intensive, proactive policing activity devoted to tackling the crimes which effect the farming and agricultural communities.

While the operations throughout the summer concentrated on communicating with the farming communities, raising awareness of the work we are doing and sharing specific crime prevention advice  to help you protect your land and business premises, the winter phase will focus more on the criminal offences and the people who commit them.

Your local police officers will be targeting offenders and suspicious people and vehicles conducting high visibility patrols, particularly during the dark evenings and mornings, and there will certainly be opportunities for partnership patrols between Thames Valley Police officers and farmers, land owners and game keepers.

Today saw the Banbury Rural Neighbourhood officers team up with the Ministry of Defence at Barford St John and patrol the area to try and eliminate people exercising and running their dogs in the fields where livestock are being kept. Livestock worrying and death as well as hare coursing have been reported in the area recently.

‘

Worrying’ is when a dog attacks or chases livestock in a way that could cause injury, suffering, abortion or the loss of produce.

It is a criminal offence:

• For a dog to be kept off a lead in a field of sheep
• For a dog to worry livestock on agricultural land
• If an owner or person in control of the dog at the time allows the dog to worry livestock on agricultural land

Advice:

Dog owners should remember to keep their pets under control at all times and ensure they are kept on a close lead when walking anywhere near livestock. Farmers, although they may be reluctant to do so, can shoot a dog which is caught worrying sheep and dog owners could be liable to prosecution and a heavy fine!

If you see someone who is walking their dog off the lead near livestock, or see a dog who is being allowed to worry sheep, this is a crime in progress and you can dial 999 straight away.

The team also visited six farms to arrange security marking of tools and garden items for later in the week. To speak to your neighbourhood team, use the postcode search on the website and send them an email, or dial 101 and ask to speak to someone from your local neighbourhood policing team.

Day 39: Rural residents turn out to speakers’ event at Countrywide Chipping Norton to talk sheep

On Wednesday night (25/9), the Countrywide store in Chipping Norton held a speakers event about various issues around sheep and other agricultural issues. The event was attended by 76 farmers, vets and some of the biggest landowners in the Country. 

Naturally, the 100 days of action team went along and PCSO Angie Alford presented some prevention advice around livestock thefts and answered questions about recent thefts of sheep in the area. 

If you missed the event, here is some advice about protecting your livestock:

• Report any suspicious activity to the police straight away via the 24-hour non-emergency number 101 or if it is a crime in progress call 999. Encourage all farm workers and staff to do the same!
• Check livestock regularly. If they are making more noise than usual, this could mean something has disturbed them. Check the fields and surrounding areas for signs that someone may be in the fields.
• Check security of boundary fencing and hedging. Make regular checks to ensure fences haven’t been breached and make sure any damage is repaired as soon as possible
• Ear tags, horn brands, freeze marking and tattooing make animals more easily identifiable

DAYS 37 and 38: Mobile police station stops at Burford Garden Centre and oil thefts are of particular concern

On Monday (23/9) the 100 days of action team covering Cherwell and West Oxfordshire policing areas set up the mobile police station at Burford Garden Centre to speak to passers by about their crime concerns.

Oil and diesel thefts seemed to have been of particular concern. Here is some advice and ideas about how to protect fuel tanks. Alternatively, OFTEC offer advice and guidance for those who use and store oil at their premises.

The position of the tank has a significant effect on its vulnerability:

• If it’s close to the house and overlooked then a thief may consider the chances of being seen too high.
• If it’s close to the road or other access points then it will be an easier target.
• Hiding it behind the garage or other structure is commonplace but can be an advantage to the thief as they are likely to be well hidden also
• If tanks are to be stored in an outbuilding then there are strict regulations which must be followed and advice should be sought from the Fire Service and OFTEC.

More security measures:

• Consider using control switches to control the flow of oil and isolate the electricity supply when the tank is not in use.
• Consider using oil level gauge alarms: These remote control alarms activate if the tank level suddenly drops or falls below a quarter full.
• Consider using Proximity GSM alarms: These are battery operated motion sensor alarms, which can alert designated mobile phones when motion activity has been detected around the tank
• Consider CCTV: This can be set up to watch over an isolated tank and may be a deterrent.
• Defensive planting is nature's way of helping reduce crime: Thieves will not want to fight their way through or over a thorny hedge. Ripped clothing or blood may help the police identify an offender.
• Consider restricting access to the tank with walls, fences and trellising. This should be constructed in close proximity to the tank.
• Consider protecting the tank with metal cages, grills and guards, these are available with lockable access points. Ensure someone is available when the tank needs to be filled.
• Closed shackle padlocks offer the most resistance to the bolt cropper
• Security Lighting: If your tank is visible from your home, this can deter thieves. Low level “dusk til dawn" or PIR motion detection lighting can be effective crime deterrent.
• Remember to check the oil level in your tank regularly, look for any spilt fuel, marks on the locks or anything else suspicious.

The Oil Save website also offers further advice.

 

Visiting farms offering Country Watch advice

Checking tractors fitted out with CESAR security technology

Tuesday (24/9) saw the Woodstock neighbourhood team patrol local farms handing out comprehensive crime prevention packs which cover a number of issues farmers and land owners have around protecting their farms, machinery and livestock.

The crime reduction advisor for the area has also spent the week visiting repeat victims of rural crime to offer advice about their main concerns and carry out farm security checks and talk about how to better protect property and land from thieves and trespassers. 

Whilst police officers appreciate farms are busy working environments, they are encouraging farmers and their staff to secure gates and ensure their farms are not left open to opportunistic theft by locking vehicles and where possible, keep items which may be vulnerable, out of sight. 

Take a look at our 12 point check list to get an idea of some of the information your neighbourhood team and crime reduction officer can offer you:

·         Nameplate: is your house/farm sign displayed at the entrance?

·         Fire hydrant: Where is the nearest fire hydrant?

·         Water supplies: Location of available additional water supplies for example  tanks, ponds, rivers

·         Evacuation plan: Is a written animal evacuation plan available at all times?

·         Dangerous animals: Are stables/ stalls/ fields identifiable if you are not there?

·         Flammable risks: What materials do you have on site and are they suitably stored away from fire risks?

·         Chemicals: What chemicals are stored, how many and where? Are they marked with the relevant safety instructions?

·         Fuel/ diesel: Are supplies/ tanks/ pipes clearly marked?

·         Staff: Are your staff aware of emergency procedures and contact numbers?

·         Housekeeping: Are your electrics, workshops and yards maintained and kept tidy?

·         Public: Are you hosting the general public on your property? How many are likely to be present?

·         Agricultural buildings: How many buildings do you have on the site? What size are they and what is their current use, i.e. animal, crops, hay, chemicals, machinery?