Latest Police Update

Message from Inspector Keith Curbishley

At the time of writing, we are experiencing some very taxing weather conditions. The rain never seems to stop, causing large, deep areas of standing water on the roads. The strong winds regularly bring trees and debris down, causing damage and blocking roads. Having both these factors on top of each other is causing a greatly increased workload for the police and support agencies. On occasion, it is necessary for road closures to be put in place. Police are well aware that these cause inconveniences for people. As such, they are only put in place when absolutely necessary. Please be patient and respect these closures – they are there for your own safety and to allow support agencies to carry out their work as quickly and safely as possible. Unfortunately, some motorists feel it necessary to move cones and closures out of the way, thinking that it doesn't apply to them. They are putting their own and others lives at risk! Needless to say, please take extra care if it is absolutely necessary for you to drive in these conditions.
Last month, I reported that a team of burglars had been arrested. Offences have continued, albeit at a reduced rate and a further arrest has been made in the past week. There will always be others prepared to violate the sanctity of individuals homes, so please continue to be vigilant.
Thefts of saddles and horse Tack from stables has become a local issue across the area. People involved in equine activities need to be aware of this, and take extra precautions to secure their property. Items should be marked in a way that makes it identifiable and unattractive to thieves. It should be locked away inside a secure area within the stable and the stable itself should have secure locks in place that cannot just be prised off with a screwdriver. Please pass this message on to anyone you may know who it may affect.

LOCAL NEWS

I am pleased to report our list of crimes committed has reduced slightly this month however local officers have continued to patrol our hot spot areas and have been extremely busy dealing with extreme weather related incidents.
The below incidents of note are for between 25th January 2014 and 23rd February 2014;

Tarvin

• 02/02/2014 a black male wearing a black bomber jacket and deerstalker hat entered the Co-Op in Tarvin and removed 2 bottles of champagne from boxes and hid them inside his clothing. The male spent a considerable amount of time in store and left on foot towards the high street, no vehicle was seen.. We believe the same male is responsible for similar thefts across the county.
• 12/02/2014 Police promptly located a young schoolgirl from Tarvin who had been reported missing from home having wandered off from her home address.

16/02/14 a shed at a farm in Huxley was broken into overnight and £350 worth of diesel was taken from the oil tank inside.

• 16/02/14 Local youths have been causing problems at the rear of Tarvin medical centre by hanging around and being noisy. They were moved on by police.
• 18/02/14 Youths have left a mess in the grounds of Tarvin primary school having been there possibly drinking but had gone unnoticed. If you see anyone entering school grounds out of hours please let us know on telephone 101.

Kelsall

• 25/01/14 2 people were stopped on Dog Lane, Kelsall smoking cannabis. Both were issued with a street caution.
• 25/01/14 a Kelsall lady was arrested near to the Co-Op in Kelsall for drink driving. She is bailed to attend court on 10/04/14.
• 10/02/2014 ½ a pallet of bricks were stolen off the new building site on Hallows Drive, Kelsall. Security has since been improved on site.
• 23/02/2014 A female residing in Cotton Edmunds has been reported for summons for the offence of Theft by finding having found a lost mobile phone and sold it straight away in a 2nd hand shop in Chester.

Due to the extreme weather conditions Cheshire police dealt with a high volume of incidents involving fallen trees and damage to property. We advise residents if they have large trees or livestock fencing at their properties to now check them for any damage which may have been caused by the extreme weather. We have had instances where damage has gone unnoticed and trees have been left in a dangerous condition putting house owners, neighbours and pedestrians at risk.