Tag Archives: crime

Police successes in Worcester Park

An update from our Police Safer Neighbourhood Team:

Shoplifter in Central Road

Worcester Park and Nonsuch PCSOs Gary Weaving and Nadine Campbell responded to a report of a man shoplifting in Central Road on Friday, 17 April. The suspect was detained as he left St Raphael’s Hospice shop. A suitcase that had been linked to the suspect was recovered and found to contain more than £170 worth of suspected stolen goods from several charity shops. Two PCs arrived and arrested the man. The recovered goods were returned to the shops.

Drugs warrant

Following information from the local community, officers from Worcester Park and Nonsuch Safer Neighbourhoods Teams carried out a warrant at an address in Worcester Park on Tuesday, 28 April. The address was searched and a small quantity of suspected cannabis was found. There were no arrests but a man was issued with a cannabis warning.

Waitrose arrests

Sgt Andy De’Voreaux, of Worcester Park & Nonsuch Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, organised a series of plain clothes patrols over four days in Waitrose, Stone Place, Worcester Park, in an effort to discourage shoplifters. On Wednesday, 29 April, three men were seen to exit the store without paying for goods and were arrested for shoplifting and theft offences.

Contact us

If you have any information about the above crimes, please contact us. Our details are below:

Nonsuch Safer Neighbourhoods Team:
Tel: 020 8721 2491
Email: nonsuch.snt@met.police.uk

Worcester Park Safer Neighbourhoods Team
Tel: 020 8649 3590
Email: worcesterpark.snt@met.police.uk

Latest borough police news

For all the latest news, appeals and court cases in Sutton, visit:
www.met.police.uk/sutton

When to call 999

If you see a crime in progress or anyone acting suspiciously, such as someone hanging around outside a house or around a vehicle, please call police on 999. You will not be wasting our time. We would rather come out and check that everything is OK than to find that someone has become a victim of crime.

KTM motorbike owners – Police warning

Four KTM motorcycles – known for their distinctive orange colour markings – have been stolen in the borough over the last six weeks.

Three of these off-road bikes were stolen from sheds or garages in Wigmore Road, Wrythe Lane and Butter Hill – all Carshalton addresses. The other KTM bike was stolen from a back garden in Grove Lane, Coulsdon. They were all stolen overnight.

Police believe these bikes are the current bike of choice for thieves and owners are being urged to take extra security steps to protect their vehicles.

1. Use a security chain to attach your motorcycle to a fixed point.

2. Use a security device on both wheels if possible. Consider a chain lock for the rear wheel and a disc lock with an audible alarm at the front.

3. Try and use products with the highest security ratings.

4. Forensically mark your motorcycle as it will improve the chances of your motorcycle being found and returned if stolen.

Remember – Lock it, don’t lose it.

Dealing with anti-social behaviour

We have received a press release which provides an interesting, and comforting, insight into the joint approach adopted by Sutton Police, Sutton Council and other agencies to deal with anti-social behaviour in the borough. Although not specifically relating to Worcester Park it is useful to understand how this problem is being dealt with in the Sutton Council part of our area.

Press release:

This month (August) marks the first anniversary of a police and Sutton Council led group which was set up to deal with Sutton’s most serious and complex cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB).

This high risk, multi-agency ASB group, is run by the Safer Sutton Partnership Service (SSPS) – a joint team of police and Sutton Council staff who manage the borough’s community safety services.

The group brings together Police, Council, Social Landlords, Health and other agencies to look at the most difficult and complex cases. They are supported by the borough’s dedicated Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, run by the Police and Council together with Sutton Housing Partnership.

These steps were put in place to make sure public bodies gave a rounded and joint response to residents’ concerns about ASB in the borough.

Twenty complex cases have come to the group, which meets fortnightly, and uses a mix of supportive and enforcement measures to change perpetrators’ behaviour and reduce the harm and impact they have on the wider community. Solutions are tailor-made to each case but can include supportive measures such as:

– understanding and support for the many issues faced by both victims and perpetrators. These issues include mental health, drug and alcohol use and housing instability

This works alongside…

– enforcement such as Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts and Orders, harassment warnings, arrest, court proceedings and even eviction.

Here are three of the cases dealt with by the group:

Case 1:

A resident in her 50s, who waged a campaign of noise day and night against the male resident in the flat below. This included her banging on the floor with her wardrobe doors, which she had removed from their hinges for this purpose. Her victim, aged in his 30s, was forced to live his life in almost silence afraid to turn up the TV or play music for fear of retaliation. At times, he suffered sleep deprivation, which caused him to be off work. She was issued with a harassment warning and then arrested and charged to court for breach of the order.

The multi-agency group worked with mental health professionals to ensure she understood the court proceedings against her and to ensure her anti-psychosis medication was taken under supervision as well as working with a homeless charity to understand her housing history. Although she moved out of her privately rented flat a month before her appearance in court, she was sentenced to a Restraining Order not to contact the male resident for 12 months. During this unavoidable period of court action, the multi-agency group ensured the victim was supported and provided with regular updates on the legal action.

Case 2:

A 27-year-old man placed a significant burden on emergency service teams by making a huge number of repeat 999 calls to Met Police and London Ambulance Services – effectively restricting legitimate callers access to life-saving services. His calls escalated when he realised he could get more than one vehicle to his address if he claimed he had a particularly serious problem. He avoided attempts to ban his mobile number by buying a new sim card or using the local payphone. The man suffered with a fixation for blue flashing lights which could be attributed to his spectrum of autism.

The multi-agency group, on the advice of mental health professionals, decided to issue an Anti-Social Behaviour Contract, which is a voluntary agreement between all parties involved including the perpetrator. Since then, the Met Police and London Ambulance have not received any calls from him. He had also made nuisance calls to his landlord – Sutton Housing Partnership. But these too have stopped.

Case 3:

A 15-year-old male youth was getting in trouble with police for increasingly serious offences. With his parents often out of the country, the youth was being looked after by relatives or by foster parents after Social Services became involved. He was often reported missing to police and he had a poor attendance at school. He was arrested, charged and brought before the juvenile court for criminal damage at his foster parents’ address, which resulted in an assault on a police officer. At the same time he was convicted of a common assault on a man, aged 50s.

On the back of this conviction, the multi-agency group succeeded in obtaining an Anti-Social Behaviour Order against the youth for two years to stop him from being in a public place with three or more people unless accompanied by a family member aged over 18 – unless he was taking part in a sporting activity arranged and supervised by a person over 18.

In each of the above cases, neighbours or other residents have not had cause to report these individuals to the police again.

Sgt Graham Rice, who runs Sutton’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, said: “These cases are examples of our well-rounded approach to understand why people are doing what they are doing, but also to maintain a determination that their anti-social behaviour has to stop.

“In my opinion, the only reason why we have achieved long-lasting outcomes to these cases is that we have involved organisations with a wide range of expertise and used their skills and knowledge in the right way at the right time. The result is that the nuisance has stopped for the benefit not just of their victims but for all residents whose lives have been touched by these individuals.”

Total Policing is the Met’s commitment to be on the streets and in your communities to catch offenders, prevent crime and support victims. We are here for London, working with you to make our capital safer.

Beat the burglar

Although Worcester Park has a very low rate of crime it is always sensible to help police by reducing the chance of a crime being committed. The item below was provided by the police’s Worcester Park Safer Neighbourhoods Team to help you to help yourself.

The purpose of this piece is to inform you of ways to make your property less attractive to burglars or thieves.

99.9% of burglars or thieves are not professional safe crackers, international jewel thieves or latter day Robin Hood’s. They are just people who want to make a fast buck as easily as they can and the easier we make it for them the more bucks they make. Burglary victims often wonder why the burglar picked on their house. To find out you need to consider:

How does a burglar’s mind work?

Burglary, on the whole, is an opportunist crime. A burglar will select his target because it offers him the best opportunity to carry out his crime undetected and with the fewest number of obstacles in his way. A building that presents itself as unoccupied and insecure is far more likely to be targeted than one which is properly secured:

  • Side gates open
  • Accessible windows open
  • Ladders left out, allowing access to otherwise inaccessible windows
  • Garden tools available to force entry
  • Untrimmed hedges or high fences preventing natural surveillance
  • And more recently, NOT locking your double glazed UPVC doors before retiring for the night. This offers burglars an easy opportunity to enter your home. Just pulling the handle up is NOT sufficient.

Each of these makes access to the building far simpler and is an indication to the prospective burglar that it’s worth a second look. Residents of multi occupancy dwellings or flats should be mindful not to grant entry to people via an entry phone system, if they do not know them, and to be cautious of people seeking to ‘tailgate’ them into buildings.

  • The question is, are the occupants in?
  • milk bottles or parcels on the doorstep
  • newspapers and mail in the letter box
  • unlit houses after dark
  • all windows shut in very hot weather

These are signs telling the burglar that he is unlikely to be disturbed in the course of his work.

Naturally, circumstances may arise when such situations may be unavoidable. If we can take measures that tell the burglar that this building is too difficult or too risky a target, he will hopefully move on.

TO STOP A BURGLAR, YOU NEED TO THINK LIKE ONE.

To a burglar, a stuffed letter box is a dead giveaway when you’re not at home. Ask a neighbour to remove your post while you are away.

To a burglar, a dark doorway is an opportunity to hide. Fit a security light over your front door to deter burglars.

To a burglar, a dark, quiet house is an empty house. Attaching a timer to a lamp and/or radio will make your home appear occupied even when it isn’t.

If you are away for extended periods:

  • Cancel the delivery of milk and newspapers
  • Disconnect the telephone answering machine, or re-word your greeting message to give the impression that you are only temporarily unable to answer.
  • Enlist the help of a neighbour, friend or relative to keep a regular eye on your property and keep the front door clear of deliveries.
  • If you are prepared to leave a key with a willing neighbour/relative, ask for curtains to be drawn and lights to be put on at night. In winter if snow is on the ground a few footprints will make the house appear inhabited.
  • Check your insurance policy. Some insurance policies for contents don’t cover you if you are away for more than 30 days.
  • Set your burglar alarm.
  • If you do not have an alarm, consider investing a few pounds in a dummy alarm box. It may well deter the opportunist thief.

None of the above will guarantee you won’t be burgled, but they will go a long way in deterring the attentions of an opportunist criminal.

REMEMBER: REMOVE THE OPPORTUNITY – DETER THE BURGLAR

Thank you

PCSO Gary Weaving

Worcester Park resident guilty of council tax fraud

Mrs Suna Grainger, of Stoneleigh Avenue, Worcester Park appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on the 24thJune 2014 having been charged with two offences of failing to declare a change in circumstances in order to obtain Council Tax Benefit from the London Borough of Sutton and Income Support from the Department for Work and Pensions.

The court heard that Mrs Grainger claimed to be living alone as a single parent with no income when in fact her partner was living with her and working. This resulted in an overpayment of benefit totalling £9,164.99.

Mrs Grainger pleaded guilty to the two charges levied against her. In passing sentence the Magistrates stated that although her claim was not false from the outset, when her partner returned to her property she failed to notify the relevant authorities and she continued to receive benefits she knew that she wasn’t entitled to receive.

Mrs Grainger has been sentenced to a 60 hour community punishment order to be completed within one year. Costs of one hundred pounds where awarded to the prosecution along with a victim surcharge of sixty pounds.

Speaking after the case, Councillor Nick Emmerson, lead member for Revenues and Benefit at Sutton Council said:

“Mrs Grainger lied to the council in order to falsely claim thousands of pounds in Council Tax Benefit she was not entitled to.

“Council Tax Benefit exists so that people can receive help when they need it. Mrs Grainger abused this scheme and as a result now has a criminal record.”

If you think someone is claiming Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or a Council Tax Reduction they are not entitled to, please call the Council’s Investigation Team, in confidence, on 020 8770 5687 or go to the websitewww.sutton.gov.uk.

Alternatively call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 328 6340 or Textphone on 0800 328 6341. You can also follow the Investigation Team on Twitter @LBSInvestigates.

Central Road recycling centre to close

The Neighbourhood Recycling Centre located adjacent to the Lindsay Road bus stop at the top of Central Road will be closing on 11 July and the space it currently occupies will be returned to pavement.
The action has been taking due to the misuse of the facility and the consequent cost to the Council. This facility currently accepts the same items as domestic green bins so it was felt there would not be a major impact on residents.
The recycling facility in the car park near Worcester Park library and Waitrose, which accepts a broader range of items, will remain but will be closely monitored to detect the antisocial minority dumping non-recyclable waste and fly-tipping. If you see improper use of either facility please inform Sutton Council and if appropriate keep a note of the offending vehicle’s registration.

Council to block new bars in ‘saturated’ areas of Sutton

Opening new pubs and bars in ‘saturated’ areas of the borough is to become more difficult as the council cracks down on problem drinking.

Sutton Council has declared several areas of the borough ‘saturation zones’ meaning anyone wanting to obtain a licence to sell alcohol in those areas must prove they meet stringent criteria and that they will not contribute toward alcohol related crime.

The council has identified seven zones, including Sutton High Street, Wallington town centre and Central Road in Worcester Park, because they have been particularly troubled by alcohol-related issues like violence and anti-social behaviour.

More: www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/suttonnews/11259960.Council_to_block_new_bars_in__saturated__areas_of_Sutton/

Neighbours reduce Sutton crime

According to the Worcester Park Safer Neighbourhood Team, overall crime has fallen in Sutton by more than 32% since 2005 and the public confidence in policing in Sutton is 74% compared to 67% for the Met as a whole.

Your local Police teams in Worcester Park and Nonsuch are convinced that the very healthy membership in Neighbourhood Watch across the borough is one of the reasons we can boast reduced crime figures and a high confidence level.

But we could do better still with YOUR help. Below is a list of roads that still have NO Neighbourhood Watch representation.

If you know anyone living in any of the roads below, perhaps you could encourage them to join in attempting to achieve the most extensive Neighbourhood Watch network in the Met. See the Sutton Neighbourhood Watch web site for more details.

Amesbury Close – Andrews Close – Beverley Gardens – Bisley Close – Brecon Close – Carters Close

Charminster Road – Chiltern Close – Covey Road – Creston Way – Dalewood Gardens

Elm Way – Fordham Close – Gareth Close – Huntingdon Gardens – Liberty Close – Lincoln Road

Lingfield Road – Parkview Crescent – Pearing Close – Quantock Drive – Shrubland Grove

Sutherland Gardens – Wellington Avenue – Woodbine Lane – Winchester Mews

Scooters stolen from the driveway in Worcester Park

Scooter and moped owners have been advised to make sure they secure their vehicles after a spate of thefts.

This week police received reports of two Honda mopeds being taken from homes in Green Lane, Worcester Park, and a Piaggio scooter being taken from a house in Washington Road, also Worcester Park.

More: www.suttonguardian.co.uk/news/11247069.Scooters_stolen_from_the_driveway_in_Worcester_Park/

Doctor appears in court charged with voyeurism at St Anthony’s Hospital in North Cheam

A doctor has appeared in court charged with voyeurism at St Anthony’s Hospital in North Cheam.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday, June 11, while a police investigation continues.

More: www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/suttonnews/11182700.Doctor_charged_with_voyeurism_at_St_Anthony_s_Hospital/