Anti-Social Behaviour Meeting Thursday

A recent eCops update has reminded me of the periodic ASB meetings that are organised by local residents to raise issues of concern with the Council and Police.

The next such meeting is on Thursday 24th February (this week) at the Community House at 37 Lawrence Way.

It is worth stating that any criminal or anti-social behaviour doesn't have to be tolerated so do please report it. The Police can only act when they know about problems. You can also use us to relay information if you'd like.

Distraction thefts from cash machines

The Neighbourhood Watch email newsletter from the Police contains a warning about a recent spate of distraction thefts at cash machines in the city centre.

The emails says:

Victims have pushed their card into the cash point slot and entered in their pin, at which point they have been approached from either side and their attention has been distracted by one of the offenders waving a newspaper in front of the screen.
Whilst distracting the victim, one of the offenders has entered a request for at least a £200 withdrawal. They then leave after taking the money and the victim doesn't realise until they find their card has been returned.

Please take care at cash machines and report anything suspicious to the Police. Any ifnormation on these crimes can be reported to DC Evans at Parkside Police Station on 0345 456 456 4 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Appeal for witnesses

The Cambridge News report a robbery on the path between Campkin Road and Ramsden Square on Sunday evening around 9.40pm.

An appeal for witnesses has been made by Det Sgt Cooper.

The first man is described as white, age between 28 and 33, 5ft 7ins tall, with a muscular build. He was wearing casual clothing and a black hooded top.

The second is described as white, between 28 and 33, 5ft 6ins tall, with a slim build. He was wearing a white hooded jumper.

(Quoted from the article.)

If you saw anything please contact Parkside police station on 0345 4564564 or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111 (anonymously).

The team are investigating what options might be for improved lighting on the path.

Burglary

At the last NAC we made burglary a local police priority due to the worrying rise in burglaries.

If you see anyone acting suspiciously please do report it to the police on 0845 456 456 4. Use 999 if you think a crime is happening! The police need this information to build up pictures even if it isn't enough to catch a burglar on its own.

The main reason for this post is that in the December Neighbourhood Watch newsletter the police mention something called Smart Water, which they say is "a fantastic way of marking your property and making it less desirable to burglars and thieves, etc. It is virtually invisible to the naked eye, can be applied to just about anything and once applied is practically impossible to remove."

If you are interested go to the SmartWater website for more details.

There will be more on what the police have done later.

Kings Hedges ASB group meeting

The King's Hedges ASB group meets this Thursday at 19.30 at the Community House (37 Lawrence Way, next to Tesco on Campkin Road).

Unfortunately Council business means that I won't be able to attend, but the meeting still gives a chance for people to raise concerns about criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in the ward to Council officers and the Police.

Of course you can also contact us directly if you prefer.

Community Safety Survey

The Safer Communities department at the City, along with other partners in the County are conducting a survey to find out about people's views on crime and misbehaviour in their neighbourhoods.

The survey is online and only takes about 10 minutes to do.

It doesn't take long to do, and can be anonymous (although they do ask for a postcode to identify any areas where they may be problems). If you chose to you can be entered to a prize draw to win £50 of vouchers.