Here's a round-up of the fantastic results from the month long campaign, “Operation Julius” aimed at tackling burglary in Lancashire.
Although the levels of burglary are low in Lancashire, these crimes are iconic and have adverse impact on public confidence, so this campaign will have gone a long way to tackle this. Thanks to all those involved!
• 440 - The number of people arrested
• £300,00 - The amount of stolen property recovered
• 5,000 - Visits and warnings for burglary suspects
• 6,000 - Burglary suspects stopped and searched
• 200 - Search warrants executed
• 141- Vehicles seized
• 880- Visits to second hand shops
• 11%- Reduction in Burglaries
Marking your property is one of the simplest and most effective ways of protecting your possessions, especially, new bikes
Marking your valuable property with your name or address is easy and effective. If your property is ever stolen, it makes it more difficult to sell on, and it makes it easier for the police to trace your belongings back to you if found.
Two methods
Police recommend two ways to mark your property:
- engraving or punching your address and postcode into your property
- marking antiques or valuable property with an ultra-violet marker
How to do it
For the first method, use a fine drill or sharp-pointed tool (inexpensive permanent marking kits can be purchased at most home improvement stores) to neatly mark your equipment with your address and postcode.
For bicycles, mowers, engines and other heavy metal objects, you can use a punching tool and a hammer to mark your address and post code.
For the second method, you can purchase permanent ultra-violet (UV) marker pens and mark the same information on more valuable possessions. The marks will be invisible to the naked eye.
However, UV marks will fade with time and should be redone periodically.
When police recover stolen property, they search them for any markings that might identify the owners, so this is a good way to ensure that you can get your property back should it ever be stolen.
Thieves know you will contact your bank to cancel your stolen credit card and stop transactions when you realise your card has gone missing. They are likely to work fast. So should you.
Keep your credit card emergency contact telephone number ready at hand. You can load it into your mobile telephone, or keep it in your wallet or purse, or in your diary or personal digital assistant. And don't forget you will need to recover your credit card number from somewhere other than the missing card to pass those details to the bank, so you will need to record this detail as well.
You do need to keep your wits about you when your card goes missing, though. Ask people who have had their card stolen. Unless there was a face to face confrontation or mugging, it can be very confusing whether you have just mislaid your card or whether it has been stolen. Perhaps it is just your card, or your purse or wallet, that is missing, and since you saw nothing untoward you are not sure whether it was stolen or misplaced.
Did you leave it at home, or in your car, or at the last shop you visited, or in the pocket of the jacket you wore yesterday? Or was your wallet or purse quietly stolen by a thief or pickpocket while you were occupied having lunch? Cancelling your card does lead to delays before a replacement arrives, and usually a reissuing expense. People can therefore be reluctant to cancel their card until they are quite sure. Thieves also know this.
Ask any busy retailer. Every few days somebody will probably have left their credit card behind after a transaction, then arrive in the shop or phone up some time later as they try to backtrack where they have been to try and find the missing card before they call their credit card company.
If you still think the card has just been mislaid you must balance the resulting costs and inconvenience with the risk that something more serious has happened. Time is important, and prompt action is usually your safest decision if there is any doubt in your mind. If you believe there is a possibility your card could be in the hands of a thief you must promptly contact your credit card company and follow their instructions.
It is good practice to get into a habit of keeping your credit card in the same place all the time. Never just drop it into your pocket after you use it, but deliberately put it back into its place in your wallet or purse. And always keep your wallet or purse in the same places, on your person or your dresser at night, to reduce the number of places you need to check if it has been mislaid. Good habits can be boring, but they can also make life easier.
Do not rely on your signature to protect you. They are not hard to forge well enough to get by in a busy shop, and have you noticed how the signature on your card will get harder to read with wear after a few months of use?
You are at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft, or may already be a victim, if:
• you have lost or had stolen important documents such as your passport or driving licence
• post expected from your bank has not arrived or you are receiving no post at all
• you identify entries on your personal credit file from organisations you do not normally deal with
• items have appeared on your bank or credit-card statements that you do not recognise
• you applied for a state benefit but are told that you are already claiming
• you receive bills, invoices or receipts addressed to you for goods or services you haven't asked for
• you have been refused a financial service, such as a credit card or a loan, despite having a good credit history
• a mobile-phone contract has been set up in your name without your knowledge
• you have received letters from solicitors or debt collectors for debts that aren't yours
• Financial institutions that you do not normally deal with contact you to chase an outstanding debt.
If you lose any important mail or documents, you should notify the following organisations:
Royal Mail
www.royalmail.com
Royal Mail Customer Services provides a host of options to re-direct your mail and to report the loss or theft of any mail. Follow the link for Customer Service.
Identity and Passport Service
www.ips.gov.uk
- Information about lost or stolen passports
- Information about identity cards and biometric passports
- Identity and Passport Service news page – latest information about the Identity and Passport Service and its anti-fraud initiatives
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
What to do if you're driving licence has been lost, stolen, destroyed or defaced Directgov - lost driving licence
Research has shown more than half of bogus caller crimes committed in the UK are carried out by criminals pretending to be from a water company.
This has led to the water industry joining forces with local Police and the government to launch a national campaign to raise awareness of this crime.
Statistics show that around 35 bogus caller crime are committed every day in the UK, but it is believed that this might only be 10% of the total number of incidents that actually take place as victims often feel too embarrassed to report it to the Police. These statistics make for grim reading, but it helps to reinforce that this type of crime is becoming quite common.
In the past, bogus callers have targeted areas where the United Utilities has been carrying out maintenance work and will use this opportunity to trick themselves into customers homes claiming to be from United Utilities or the “Water Board”. Once inside, they will then distract the homeowner while the accomplice helps themselves to money or valuables.
United Utilities employees always carry ID and will be happy to show this card to you when they visit your home. If the person claiming to be from United Utilities doesn't have the ID cards or you are concerned that the card isn't valid.
DON'T LET THEM INTO YOUR HOME!!
REMEMBER! IF IN DOUBT KEEP THEM OUT!!!
United Utilities do operate a password protection scheme which is one of the most effective ways to avoid bogus callers. It's a very simple deterrent that really does work and will give you confidence to turn people away.
TO SET UP A PASSWORD; CALL TELEPHONE, 0845/746/1100
• Take care when opening doors and always ask for identification.
• Do not agree to have any work done on your property unless you get a second opinion as to whether you actually need the work doing or not.
• Do not agree to any work where the caller says they are only in the area today.
• For the contract to be completed successfully by both parties, the trader must serve you with a notice of cancellation rights, giving you details of how to cancel.
• If you do agree to work being carried out, then you have a short time period in which to cancel the contract after it has been signed.
• Choose a reliable tradesman; ask families and friends for recommendations.
• Do not pay any money up front.
• Do not accept transport from the tradesman to your bank or building society, in order to withdraw money to pay for the work.
• Say no if you feel pressurized.
• If in doubt contact Consumer Advice or the Police.
