Hempsted Community

Police Warn Hempsted Residents about Vehicle and Garage Thefts

February 10 2012

Local Policing Team officers in Hempsted are warning residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity after three incidents were reported this week.

In one incident a boy described as approximately 14-17 years of age, wearing a black fleece top, jeans and black and white trainers and carrying a Next carrier bag was disturbed breaking into a garage. He made off from the scene.

On another occasion, an unknown person entered a vehicle by unknown means and stole a satellite navigation system with docking pod, remote control and charger.

PC Mark Evans said: “There are opportunities for thieves to steal as much as possible if items are seen in view.

“Please secure all vehicles and garages and outhouses as best as possible and remove anything that could be used to gain entry into garages.

"Should you see anyone acting suspiciously hanging about properties - be it on foot or in a vehicle after dark - or someone looking into driveways, please gather as much information as possible, namely descriptions and vehicle registrations, and then report this using the new Gloucestershire Police non-emergency number 101.

“However, if there is a risk to yourself, your property from anyone, or you think that your safety or others is endangered, please ring 999 and do not approach the person.”

Police Warn Hempsted Residents about Metal Thieves

January 13 2012

Local Policing Team officers in Hempsted are warning residents to be on the lookout for metal thefts after a suspicious incident earlier this week.

Unknown offenders removed a set of ladders from a garden on Hempsted Lane at around 4.30pm on Tuesday, January 10. They then climbed over a fence with the ladders into another garden because, it is believed, they were planning to return to steal lead from a roof.

PC Mark Evans, who is sending letters to the community to warn them, said: “As you will be aware, the nights are getting lighter, so this will be an opportunity for thieves to use this to their advantage and steal as much as possible.

“Please secure anything that could be used to gain entry into houses or assist with the theft of lead - by keeping ladders locked up and moving items such as wheelie bins/steps away from easy access points.

"Should you see anyone acting suspiciously hanging about properties; be it on foot or in a vehicle after dark, or someone looking into gardens please gather as much information as possible - namely descriptions and  vehicle registrations and then report this using the new Gloucestershire Police on 101.

“However, if there is a risk to yourself, your property from anyone, or you think that your safety or others is endangered, please ring 999 and do not approach the person.”

Police and Trading Standards Seize £1000 Worth of Suspected Fake Goods

£1000 worth of suspected fake goods have been seized from Hempstead Market in Gloucester yesterday, Thursday December 22.

The counterfeit clothing was seized by Gloucestershire Police and local Trading Standards officers in the joint operation which was held in response to information received from the public about illegal trading at the site.

15 pairs of fake Ugg boots, along with counterfeit Nike jackets and designer jeans were found for sale and seized.

PC Mark Evans, community beat officer for Hempsted who worked on the operation said: "This was a very successful operation, and demonstrated a multi-agency approach to tackling issues of concern in our communities.

“I hope it sends a message out to traders at car boot sales and elsewhere that we are able to take action against this type of illegal activity.

"The sale of counterfeit goods is particularly pertinent at this time of year but we will continue this kind of operation into the New Year working alongside Gloucestershire Trading Standards"

Eddie Coventry head of Gloucestershire County Council’s Trading Standards, said: “We continue to receive complaints from the public about fake products and we remain concerned that consumers and traders lose out when counterfeit and inferior items are passed off as the real thing.

“We will continue to take action to prevent this illegal trade and to protect the interests of consumers and genuine traders.”

Hempsted Badgers Encouraged to “Think Safety”

  The last week of November Police Community Support Officers from the local policing team from Hempsted visited a group of Badgers to talk to them about keeping safe.

PCSOs Frankie McIntosh and Manja Tunney visited the group of 20 five to ten-year-olds to talk about what they should do to stay safe and also to answer any questions they had.

They discussed issues such as road safety and stranger danger, and at the end of the talk each of the Badgers received little goody bags to remind them about the tips the PCSOs gave.

They were also encouraged to talk to their mums and dad’s about how they could keep their bicycles safe, for example by registering it online at www.bikeregister.com .

After the event PCSO Tunney said: "Our visit went really well and the badgers really enjoyed it. We spoke to them about safety in enclosed areas, canals, road safety and also stranger danger. The youngsters also had the opportunity to look at photographs and pick out the hazards that they could see. 

“I hope that after this visit they will take on board the advice, which will help keep them safe when they are out with friends or brothers and sisters playing.”

Operation Dazzel in Gloucester Local Policing Area

Operation Dazzle will be lighting the way for people who ride their bikes with no lights. This initiative will run across the area to encourage those who don't have lights to get them or face a  fine. Please contact your local policing team on 101 to request further information and get your bike security marked for FREE!

Gloucester Youth Showcase Raises Money for Charity

October 19 2011

The Safer Gloucester Partnership, which includes local police, handed over two cheques to charity today (October 19), after money was raised from a recent youth event.

Officers handed over £100 to both the James Hopkins Trust and the Pied Piper appeal at Kites Corner in Barnwood.

The money was raised by a prize draw and barbeque at the Gloucester Youth Showcase, hosted by Gloucestershire Police and supported by Safer Gloucester, at Llanthony Priory in September. 

Pennie Sharpe of the James Hopkins Trust, which provides help for severely disabled children and Wendy Fabian of The Pied Piper Appeal, which works to improve the lives of sick children, gratefully accepted the cheques.

The Gloucester Youth Showcase was organised by PC Mark Evans and PC Steve Crown of the Gloucester Community Team.  

PC Mark Evans said “The event at Llanthony Priory was a success and showed to young people and adults in Gloucester what was available to them while at the same time raising a considerable amount of money for these very worthwhile charities."

Further information on the charities can be found at www.jameshopkinstrust.org.uk and www.piedpiperappeal.co.uk

Gloucester Youth Showcase in September

August 26 2011

The Safer Gloucester Partnership is holding a youth showcase in Gloucester next month.

The event, taking place at Llanthony Priory on Saturday, September 17, is aimed at anyone aged between 6 and 20 and will be an opportunity for young people in the city to find out more about career options and activities they can get involved with.

A number of organisations have already confirmed their attendance including the 46^th Gloucester Scout Group, Gloucestershire Army Cadet Force, Gloucester Air Training Corps, Gloucester Sea Cadets, St John's Ambulance youth section, Virgin Active health clubs, Young Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Constabulary Specials, the Army recruitment team and the Warehouse climbing wall.

Gloucester City Local Policing Team would also like to hear from any other groups interested in getting involved. If you are interested, then you should email Richard.burge@gloucestershire.police.uk, steven.crown@gloucestershire.police.uk or mark.evans1227@gloucestershire.police.uk

PC Steve Crown said: “This is going to be a great opportunity for youngsters in the city to see what’s available for them and find out how they can do something fun and productive.

“Boredom and a lack of options are often quoted as a catalyst for anti-social behaviour and other crime so we are fully behind it.

“It is also a great reminder of all the positive outlets available to local children.”

Motorbike Seized in Quedgeley After Rider Fails to Heed Anti-Social Behaviour Warning

July 19 2010

Police in Quedgeley seized a motorbike after the rider ignored a police warning to stop using it in an anti-social way.

A 20-year-old man from the Hardwicke area who had already been given a 'section 59' warning after pulling stunts with his Yamaha motorbike and riding it on the pavement was stopped on Bristol Road at around 1.50pm last Thursday, July 14.

The vehicle has now been seized and will be crushed.

PC Fraser Mackie said: “I hope those behaving like this will sit up and take notice – we aren’t bluffing when we give out these notices.

"They can be given where an officer witnesses someone driving carelessly or inconsiderately and in a manner likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver is stopped again within a 12-month period, police have the power to seize their vehicle, as has happened here.

“People driving motorbikes and mini-motos down footpaths and alleyways can be a complete nuisance to the rest of the community and affect people’s quality of life.

"If you see someone doing this, please call us on 0845 090 1234."

Hempsted Children Design Anti-Litter Posters

July 15 2011

Children from Hempsted have designed posters urging litter louts not to leave rubbish along the local canal path.

Gloucestershire Police, Safer Gloucester Partnership and the City Centre Community Partnership ran a competition with pupils from Hempsted Church of England Primary School to see who could come up with the most effective warnings.

The youngsters had been told about the potential dangers to animals and children playing in the area and were keen to get the message across.

The posters will now be displayed along the canal path and around the city centre.

There were three competition winners: first prize went to Amber Wiltshire; second went to Dion Deakin-Stevens; and third prize to Isobel Willis. They were each given a framed picture of their poster along with book tokens and a cash prize donated by the City Centre Community Partnership. 

Community Beat Officer for the area, PC Mark Evans, said: “We had some great poster designs in the competition and the children have done an excellent job in highlighting the issue to the community.

“The amount of rubbish being discarded in the area can be easily preventable, just by taking your litter home with you.

“The pupils from Hempsted have shown that they really care about their area as they have taken a lot of effort designing the posters.”

More information on police events and priorities in the Hempsted can be found on the Gloucester City Local Policing Team pages.

Hempsted Officers Offer Security Advice at Community Event

 July 4 2011  

Officers in Hempsted gave out crime prevention advice at a community event last week.

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) Christina O’Konor-Bryant and Manja Tunney were at Hempsted Summer Fair to give out security advice and tips.

PCSO Tunney said: “Car crime, garage and shed breaks have been issues lately and we gave out a lot of advice and information about those.

“Bike thefts was the most common concern though.  We told cyclists about the best type of lock to use and how to register with a site like www.bikeregister.com to give yourself a better chance of being reunited with your bike if it is stolen.

“We also have a bike security section on www.gloucestershire.police.uk, and I pointed people in the direction of that.”

Police Come Together with Criminal Justice Partners for Sports and Fun Day in Gloucester

June 28 2011

Officers in Gloucester took part in a special fun day that aimed to use the power of sport to improve the relationship between the community and the criminal justice system.

Attractions at the ‘Let’s Come Together’ event at Gloucester Academy’s Estcourt Close campus included a climbing wall, 2-on-2 cage football and sumo suits!

Superintendent for Gloucester Gary Thompson said : “This was a great example of what can be achieved when local people get together with their local police.

“We are committed to working with our communities within Gloucester to ensure that we continue to develop new links and cement existing ones. This was an excellent event and I look forward to next year, when I’m sure the police will win the football!"

Teddy Burton, speaking on behalf of co-organisers The Gloucester Advisory and Support Panel (GASP), said: “An effective criminal justice service undoubtedly relies on the confidence and co-operation of the general public. Regrettably, the police and the communities they serve often only come in contact when there is a problem, sometimes in an atmosphere of great tension.

“This event really helped to promote community cohesion as well as build trust in the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Vicky Cook, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution in the South West agreed: “It’s so important to us to work closely with community groups such as GASP and our criminal justice system partners to understand and address local crime concerns but, on a day like today, we can simply come together and enjoy the fun!”

Hempsted Police Run Dangerous Parking Operation Around School

June 17 2011

Police in Hempsted have been speaking to parents about dangerous parking near the local school at drop off and pick up times.

Officers from the local policing team and Gloucester City Council’s parking enforcement team ran a week long operation which ended on Monday to try and tackle the issue on St Swithuns Road near Hempsted Primary School.

Patrols were made to stop motorists causing an obstruction and congestion.

Parents were spoken to over 30 times during the week, advised about their parking and warned that if they continue they will receive a fine.

PC Mark Evans, who was involved in the operation, said: "Children’s safety is a major concern and has been brought up by the school and residents in the area. 

“There have been numerous complaints of illegal parking on the yellow lines outside the school and obstruction of driveways.

“The safety of children is paramount and we would encourage motorists to park safely and legally to prevent accidents and for the sake of residents in the area.

“We’ll be making further patrols in the future to make sure people have taken heed.”

Hempsted Business Watch

Hempsted SCT have conducted a walkabout around businesses in the Hempsted area with Andy Hawkins (Vice Chairman of the FSB & CCCP member) to promote Business Watch which is a scheme that aims to reduce burglaries at commercial premises. 18 extra businesses have signed up to the scheme and we hope that all the businesses in the area will soon be a part of this.

The‘Business Watch Scheme’ operates in the following way:

A database comprising of the business address, telephone number and e-mail address has been set up in the Neighbourhood Watch Office at Gloucester Police Station. Once set up the database is used to pass information quickly and easily to all businesses in the Hempsted Industrial area via the Neighbourhood Watch ‘Watchword’ system.

The Neighbourhood Watch department do not have the facility to create incidents or direct police officers or patrols to incidents;  therefore the non emergency number 0845 090 1234 should still be used for the reporting of incidents or passing of information to the police...... if you suspect a crime is taking place then dial 999.

The advantage of such a scheme is that early warning can be given about crime trends and other occurrences that businesses should be aware of. This would have been a great help with recent burglaries and thefts in your area.

The scheme involves no cost to the businesses and very little work. It is essential however that all businesses in the area participate, as blanket coverage of crime prevention advice is extremely effective.  If you would like to join the scheme or would like further information please e-mail any of the below:

manja.tunney@gloucestershire.police.uk

alan.hardacre@gloucestershire.police.uk

mark.evans1227@gloucestershire.police.uk

SCT speak to college students

On Friday 18th March 2011, Hempsted Community Beat Officer PC Mark Evans & PCSO Jordan White of the Gloucester City Safer Community Team attended Gloucester College to speak to students on their activity day in relation to personal safety on the internet.  Officers attended and spoke to over 50 students who were invited to ask questions about social network sites and were also given a presentation on e-crime and personal safety. 
The presentations were welcomed and there was a lot of interaction from those present.  PC Mark Evans commented by saying " By speaking to students on this particular subject, it will not only make them aware of how their personal information can be made available on the web, but will also help them to stay safe whilst using the internet"

Hempsted officers would like to offer their services to other agencies and groups in the area.  If you would like help or support with any event please use the 'contact us' form.

SCT advice to Hempsted residents

Within the last couple of weeks there has been an increase in thefts from cars as well as shed/garage breaks within the Hempsted area. We would like to make residents aware and ask them to make sure that all valuables are safely secured.

Here are a few tips with regards to prevention of car crime and shed/garage breaks.

Thefts from vehicle

• Always fully secure your vehicle
• Remove detachable stereo equipment
• Remove all items of property from view - even an old coat with nothing in the pockets will tempt some criminals
• If removal is not an option, secure valuables out of site and do this away from final destination as criminals often observe car parks to look for people transferring valuables into the boot or hatch
• Be selective about where you park your vehicle - is it busy and well used, will it still be busy at the time of return, is it well lit, is it covered by CCTV

Garage & Shed brakes

Here a few practical steps you can take to stop shed burglary or minimize the risk:

• Consider fitting an alarm.
• Making the access to the rear of your property as difficult as possible
• Using locks, bolts or a padlock and chain on all side and rear gates
• Planting prickly or thorny plants around the fence line to deter intruders
• Fit and use security lighting – but ensure it will not annoy the neighbours
• Make sure sheds are kept securely locked
• Make windows opaque so property is not on display
• Mark all valuables with your postcode and house number
• Secure valuable items to each other or to the fabric of the shed, this will make removal much more difficult

Further security advise can be obtained form our crime reduction department by phoning the non -emergency number 0845 090 1234 and ask to speak with the crime prevention officer for your area.

Should you wish to get more crime prevention advice you can also try the following websites:

www.secureyourmotor.gov.uk

www.saferparking.com

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/how-you-can-prevent-crime/cycle-theft/

www.soldsecure.com

Bright Students Receive Free Cycle Lights and Security Advice at Personal Safety Event

January 26 2011

Students from Gloucester College received free bike lights and security advice at a campus event last week.

Run by police and other agencies in the Safer Gloucester partnership, the event was intended to increase awareness of personal safety amongst students.

PC Mark Evans, of Gloucester City Safer Community Team, said: “During the four hours that we were there we spoke to numerous students about personal safety and encouraged over 20 people to sign up to a bike registration site like www.bikeregister.com.

“We were also able to supply free bike lights that had been funded by the Safer Gloucester partnership. Many of the students admitted that they cycled during the evening without lights as they were too expensive. They were most grateful for the new lights and they’ll make a big difference to their safety.”

Gloucester SCT reminder about Llanthony Bridge

Officers from the Gloucester City Safer Community Team (SCT) would like to remind drivers that the Llanthony Road Bridge in Gloucester is solely for the use of Buses, Cyclist and Taxis.

When the Llanthony Road bridge re-opened after the building works at Gloucester Quays it was made for the sole use of Buses / Taxis and cyclist. This is for the safety of pedestrians in the area.

PCSO Adam Stevens from the Gloucester City SCT is regularly on Llanthony Road bridge when patrolling between Hempsted and Gloucester City.  In the past month he has stopped over 20 vehicles crossing the bridge and a large majority of these drivers tell him they are following their SatNavs.  He would like to remind drivers that if they are following their SatNavs that they still have a responsibility to be driving with due care, that therefore means being aware of road signs. "

Llanthony Road is clearly marked from both directions. There are two signs on both ends on the road and it is also marked on the road.

Hempsted Post Office Gets New Police Information Point