This briefing covers the period June 2010.
Information from Cheshire Police.
BURGLARY
Bollington & Pott Shrigley
On 7.6.2010 offenders entered a terraced property
in the Silver Street area of Bollington via an insecure kitchen window. They
then took car keys and an Apple iPhone from the kitchen table and made their
escape with a vehicle from outside the property.
An attempt was made to gain entry to a property in the
Cumberland Drive area of Bollington via a small open window
but was unsuccessful.
Property was taken from an insecure garden
shed situated in the South West Avenue area of Bollington.
A Gazebo was taken from a shed in the the South
West Avenue area of Bollington on 13.6.2010.
A dark blue Universal mountain bike was
stolen from the garage of a house in the Fernbank Rise
area of Bollington on 13.6.2010.
Prestbury & Adlington
Offenders, by unknown means, forced open a wooden
garage door at a house in the Wood Lane North area of Adlington and after
making a selective search made their escape taking a selection of garden
tools and a specialised mountain bike.
A quad bike was stolen from an insecure shed
at a farm in the Well Lane area of Prestbury on 10.6.2010.
Offenders entered a house under renovation in the Withinlee
Road area of Prestbury on 16.6.2010 and stole property from inside.
Rainow
Offenders entered a farmyard in the Macclesfield
Road area of Rainow and removed a Honda Quad Bike from the barn.
A wallet and a large amount of fishing equipment
was stolen from a car in the Rainow area of Macclesfield on 17.6.2010.
Property was taken from the insecure boot of
a vehicle parked in the Lamaload Road area of Rainow on 20.6.2010.
Macclesfield area
On 2.6.2010 thieves entered a property in the
Cholomondeley Street area of Macclesfield via an insecure front bedroom
window.
Over a weekend period two games consoles plus
games were stolen from a house in the London Road area of Macclesfield. Entry
was gained via an insecure window.
Golf clubs were stolen from an integral garage at a house
in the Victoria Road area of Macclesfield on 4.6.2010.
An elderly female left her front door open whilst she
went to talk to a neighbour. When she returned to the property she found
that someone had entered her property and had taken a camcorder from a
chair in the living room. The house was situated in the Chadwick Terrace
area of Macclesfield.
Cash was stolen from a handbag which
was left in a kitchen which had an insecure front window. The house was in
the Gritstone Drive area of Macclesfield.
Camera equipment and a laptop were stolen from a house
in the Westbury Drive area of Macclesfield on 19.6.2010. Thieves had
entered via an insecure front door.
Electrical equipment and a Blackberry
phone were stolen from a house in the Oxford Road area of Macclesfield.
A garage door was forced to gain entry.
Keys were left in a garage door
by the owners of a house in the Linnet Grove area of Macclesfield. A back
door key was also on the keyring and offenders let themselves in
through the rear door which resulted in a handbag being stolen.
A ground floor games room window was left insecure in a house
in the Flying Fields area of Macclesfield which allowed offenders
to enter the house and remove a laptop, mobile phone and iPod
from the house.
Handbags were stolen from a
house in the Batemill Close area of Macclesfield on 23.6.2010. Thieves
entered the unlocked french doors at the rear of the property.
Thieves entered a house in the Ivy Road area
of Macclesfield via insecure patio doors and removed property from inside.
An intruder entered a house in the Abingdon Close area
of Macclesfield during the night but was disturbed by the
occupants and made his escape with a ladies handbag,
Intruders entered a garden
via an insecure gate in the Hampshire Walk area of Macclesfield
on 30.6.2010. They then pushed the keys out of the lock in
the back door and reached through the cat flap in order to
retrieve the keys and let themselves in. Camera equipment and
a small amount of cash were taken from within.
A chainsaw was stolen from an insecure shed in the Whirley Road
area of Macclesfield. The chainsaw was later found in a hedge
nearby.
Offenders entered a timber
shed by damaging the doors which were secured with a padlock at
a house in the Whirley Road area of Macclesfield. They then
made their escape with a quantity of garden machinery.
Three pedal cycles were stolen
from a garage in the Peel Street area of Macclesfield on 12.6.2010.
A BMX frame and two wheels
were stolen from a shed in the Somerton Road area of Macclesfield
on 10.6.2010.
Golf clubs were stolen from a
detached garage at a house in the Brampton Avenue area of Macclesfield
when the side door was left insecure.
Offenders entered an insecure
detached garage at a house in the Ivy Road area of Macclesfield
and stole alcohol and a radio controlled plane from within.
Items were stolen from an insecure garden shed in the Sandy Lane area of Macclesfield
on 17.6.2010. The same evening a quad bike was stolen from another insecure
shed and a petrol lawnmower from another insecure shed in the same area.
Fishing
Rods were stolen from an insecure shed in the Leadbetters Road
area of Macclesfield on 28.6.2010.
A lawnmower and a tool box were
stolen from a secured shed in the Moss Lane area of Macclesfield.
Thieves forced the hinge at the bottom of the door.
Tools were
stolen from a van parked in the James Street area of Macclesfield
on 3.6.2010.
A Satnav was stolen from the
glove box of a vehicle parked in the High Street area of Macclesfield
on 6.6.2010.
A handbag and purse were stolen
from a car in the Whirley Road area of Macclesfield on 18.6.2010.
A handbag and purse were stolen
from an insecure car parked on a pub car park in the Park Green
area of Macclesfield.
A vehicle left insecure with the
keys in the ignition was stolen from the Poplar Road area of
Macclesfield.
A Landrover Defender was stolen
from a farm in the Congleton Road area of Gawsworth when it
was left insecure with the keys in the ignition.
As you will see from the above briefing, many
of the incidents that have occurred in June have been allowed to happen because
properties and vehicles have been left insecure. Especially in this warmer weather, can I please remind you to
shut windows when you leave your property unattended and make sure that all
doors are locked even if you are in the house or the garden.
Please report anyone or anything suspicious to the police on 0845
458 0000.
Jane Thirsk
Watch Officer
"STOP! THINK! CHAIN!"
Don't let people you don't know into your home without checking their ID. If you don't know whether their ID is valid call their employer and ask. If they need something from within the home shut them out side a locked door while you get what they want - or just tell them to go away AND LOCK THE DOOR!
Special risk awareness ...
Bogus 'water board' operatives are a regular modus operandi for distraction burglars. Please don't let these people into your house! Make sure your elderly relatives and neighbours know not to let these people into their houses!
Genuine water company staff all work for United Utilities and always carry an ID card. They will let you use this card to phone the company to verify their identity if you wish to make sure. There are no 'water boards' any more! Meter readers work for other companies but do not generally need access to your house. Meter readers normally work alone so beware if two turn up.
Never let 'water board' workmen into your house without asking for their identity then checking up on it.
United Utilities operate a password scheme to provide further assurance. Call them for details.
And in Pickmere a company was offering free security and fire safety checks for your home. This is the same company that we have been warned about several times in the last couple of years and they have been operating in the Macclesfield division.
We cannot name the company but a typical approach is to telephone asking if you would like a company representative to come round to your property to complete a security survey. The caller intimates that they are working in conjunction with the fire and police services or with Group4 - this is untrue.
The security survey is actually a hard sell technique which gets a salesman into your home with the aim of getting you to purchase as much security equipment from them as possible.
As well as offering security and fire advice they are now offering advice on electrical problems.
The company seems only to contact the more elderly residents of an area.
As this company has been the subject of a BBC Watchdog report, I suggest you inform your local Trading Standards if this company contact you and you are advised to decline the security check.
Scams - a wide variety of ways to part you from your cash!
There are as ever a wide variety of scams on the go. Two favourites at the moment are the 'we'll put manure on your garden' scam and the 'phone this number to arrange a parcel delivery' scam.
The manure scam involves confidence tricksters who 'sell' garden manure but then want one or more open cheques to pay for it. Needless to say they write a large value into the cheque after telling the account holder that it would only be a small sum. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give out a blank, signed cheque to anyone, especially someone you never saw before!
The phone scam involves getting a card delivered through the door saying that they have a parcel for you, please phone this number to arrange delivery. Look at the phone number - if it starts 09 or maybe 03 or 001 then it is a premium rate call that could prove very expensive. Do not call it but consult the local Trading Standards officer to check it out.
There are frequently variations on all the common scams so be alert. Unfortunately the crooks tend to go for the elderly, those most likely to accommodate them, those most easily convinced of their story.
Please stay vigilant!
