Over the period leading up to Christmas we had a series of shed breaks in the village over one or two nights, the series was strange in that there appears to be have been nothing reported stolen. So it's a good time to remind you to protect your shed with a shed alarm, they are inexpensive, easy to fit and are an excellent deterrent, coupled with a strong padlock it will help  to deter an opportunist thief.

In the 6 months I've been back I've been very busy to say the least, with issues such as speed enforcement, neighbour disputes, giving crime prevention advice, making reassurance visits to victims of crime, and generally being available to assist the community and give advice when needed.

The area is still suffering from thefts of York stone and garden ornaments although it is the York stone theft's that more prevalent at the moment, so if you see anything that you believe to be suspicious please report it immediately using the 0845 125 2222 No, we're looking for you to report things such as suspicious vehicles by this I mean vehicles that are not known to you and are being driven suspiciously slowly around the area, your own instinct will usually tell you when a vehicle is suspicious. If you see workmen in a neighbours garden carrying out hard landscaping work to a patio for example and your neighbours are not at home make enquires if you can to see if the work is legitimate. Phone us if you have any doubts.

At the public meeting I held in Elstead on November the 20^th the main concern voiced was one of horses fouling on the footpaths which was causing concern to some of the elderly residents of the village, so if you are part of or know of someone in the equine community please either avoid exercising your horse on the footpaths or pass the message on please. Whilst on the subject of public meetings my next one in Elstead is on Thursday the 12^th of February at the United Reformed Church start time 7 pm, so please make a note in your diary.

STOP PRESS.

On Thursday the 15^th of January an elderly resident in the village was a victim of what is known as a 'distraction burglary' this is where the victim is duped into letting  bogus officials/workmen into their house, then once in the house the victim is distracted whilst money/valuables are then stolen.

At the recent one in the village 2 workmen called to the address and stated they were working at the next door property and needed to turn the victims water off, once inside the house they found out where the victim kept their money, they then made their excuses and left with the victims cash.

This type of crime is utterly despicable, the perpetrators target the elderly and most vulnerable members of our community, they are cowards and they need to be caught. Have you had any uninvited workmen/officials call to your property recently? Please let us know if you have any information that may assist us. If someone calls to your property and state they are working nearby and need to get into your property for any reason check their identity, anyone who is official will not mind you doing this. If your not sure phone a neighbour and ask them to come around to check for you.

You can also check with the company the official is saying they are from, finally if you are still not convinced they are genuine call the police.