Newbury Business Today

Business crime update – why criminals want your precious metals

9th June 2011

Email: richard.maynard@newburynews.co.uk

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS with Pc Lee Frost

Hello everyone, welcome to this month’s column. I would like to focus on one specific issue this month, which is becoming more prevalent in West Berkshire area. Criminals are targeting business premises by taking lead, copper and scrap metal from the buildings or yards of businesses, and selling it for scrap.
This last month there has been numerous crimes where lead, copper piping or scrap metal has been stolen from businesses in the Newbury area.
This usually occurs during the night, where access is gained either by climbing up on to roofs, or over fences into yards.
The criminals then take valuable scrap metal, or lead flashing with the intention of selling it as local scrap dealers.
There are a few small steps which businesses can do to help us catch these criminals. Firstly, try to make your scrap metal as secure as possible. This may sound like a ludicrous suggestion, but if criminals realise they can obtain scrap from a yard, they are also likely to break in or take the valuable lead whilst they are taking the scrap.
Secondly, try to mark your lead with UV pens, or etch your business details into the lead. This will help the police when we recover it to trace the lead and identify it as stolen. Thirdly, make it as difficult as possible for criminals to enter your yard or climb up onto the roofs. Use deterrents such as security lights, barbed wire or other security products, of which Thames Valley police can direct you towards if you contact me.
On some good news, seven individuals have been arrested in the past week in connection with these thefts. I myself arrested two in Shaw Park, opposite Shaw house on May 21. Two men where arrested, one was 42 years old and the other was 26 years old. A member of the public had reported suspicious activity to the police. They have been bailed until this month pending further enquiries.
This shows how we need everyone to be vigilant and if anyone spots suspicious activity to call police immediately.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who wants any advice about crime prevention or any other advice about anything, or would like a visit from me about any issues they want to talk over. My email address is: lee.frost@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk.

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