Police accused of wasting time by snooping inside cars... then WRITING
to drivers to warn them their valuables could be stolen
By Luke Salkeld
Last updated at 3:34 PM on 08th December 2008
Police officers were today accused of wasting their time by tracking
down village motorists to write individual letters warning them about
leaving valuables in their cars.
Pensioner Richard English said he was amazed to see a small rural
community 'crawling with police officers' and expected to find it had
been the scene of a major crime.
Instead they were merely handing out leaflets warning owners of vehicles
to be vigilant over car thefts in Martock, near Yeovil, Somerset.
But then Mr English discovered the police community support officers
were making a note of registration numbers of cars with valuables in
them.
They then went back to the police station and sent letters to these
motorists after looking up their addresses on the national police
computer.
He said: 'I was absolutely astounded that anyone authorised five
policemen to leaflet an area like that.
'One policeman could have put a leaflet under the windscreen saying
thieves operating in this area don't leave valuables in your car - talk
about the police creating their own paperwork.'
Yesterday a spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police defended the
officers' crime fighting tactics.
He said: 'A key role of police community support officers is to work
with the community to prevent and reduce crime and this is what they
were doing on this occasion.'
Police Constable Iain Selley, the beat manager for Martock added: 'In
recent weeks we have seen a number of thefts from vehicles and in
response to this we have been actively working to tackle the problem.
'As part of this we were in the area handing out leaflets and posters
giving crime prevention tips.
'We also had a look in parked vehicles and identified a number which had
valuables on show which would prove tempting to thieves.
'We have sent letters to the owners of those vehicles reminding them to
remove valuables from their car, or at least keep them hidden.
'We thoroughly investigate all thefts from motor vehicles but we would
rather people did not become a victim in the first place as it can be a
distressing experience.
'A number of officers were in the area in order to speak to as many
people as possible and to provide reassurance that we are tackling the
problem.
'It also sends a strong message to the people committing these offences
that we are around and are determined to tackle the problem.'
http://www.dailymai
time-snooping-
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
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