Weekly round-up from your local Neighbourhood Team

Dear Residents and Local Businesses, here is your weekly update from your local neighbourhood Policing Team, Stoke and Wyken. 

Officers participated in foot and vehicle patrols in and around our local residential areas with our traffic team to participate in OP WOODCORE in relation to crime prevention against burglaries in the area. As well as our OP GALVENISE in relation to vehicle crime on the north east area of Coventry at our local hotspots. 

This week whilst our officers have been out on active patrols, our officers have had 1 arrests for one of our known offenders who has been known for targeting retail stores. 

We hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather because our officers from the Stoke and Wyken team certainly have whilst conducting foot patrols in our local green areas, such as Caludon Castle Park, Stoke Heath, Barras Green, The Lindfeild and St Margret’s Skate Park. We are also continuing our targeted guardian patrols in the areas of Walsgrave Road, Riley Square, Hillmorton Road and Edgwick Park due to high levels of ASB, so if you see us about feel free to come and say hello.

Crime prevention advice 

Preventing car and vehicle theft

Don't let thieves get an easy ride. Follow these simple rules to protect your vehicle from thieves.

1. Lock your vehicle

Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open.

It is actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather. If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.

If your vehicle has wing mirrors that fold in automatically when locked, make sure you lock it properly. Criminal gangs are looking for vehicles like these where the wing mirrors are still out because it is clear to them that the vehicle has been left unlocked.

2. Keep the keys safe

Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.

If you're selling your car and you meet up with a potential buyer, do not allow the keys out of your sight. Your keys may be cloned by thieves and used later to steal your vehicle.

Keyless entry 

Cars with keyless entry unlock automatically when the key comes within a short distance of the car. This can be from inside a pocket or bag. If you have to push a button on your car key to open your car, you don't have keyless entry.

Keyless car theft or 'relay theft' is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the key is close by. This unlocks the car and starts the ignition.

Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture the signal, even if it’s inside your home. This means that even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.

3. Be aware of carjackers

The fact that you’re in the car isn’t always a deterrent to someone trying to steal it.

In traffic, drive with the doors locked and when queuing leave enough space in front of your vehicle to enable you to get out of a tight spot. If your vehicle is bumped from behind, wait to pull over – somewhere safe and preferably where there are people. After all, you don’t know the person who has collided with you; they could well be hijackers. If you’re at all suspicious, consider calling the police.

If someone threatens you, it’s better to hand over the keys to the vehicle than become a victim of assault. Then call 999 as soon as possible, and ask for the police.

If your car is stolen, some modern vehicle alarm and tracker systems have the facility to isolate or shut down fuel systems, bringing the vehicle to a halt and leaving the thief high and dry.

4. Park responsibly

It’s always advisable to avoid parking in dark and secluded areas. It’s worth an extra five or ten-minute walk if it means your vehicle is left in a well-lit and busier street.

And if possible, always try to park in illuminated and staffed car parks or those with a Park Mark safer parking award. To find one, simply check out Park Mark.

Nature watch 

This week on nature watch whilst our team were out on patrol in Caludon Castle park, the spotted an uncommon tree creeper bird which are hard to spot due to there fast flight and small body. These birds are often found in wooded areas, parks and large gardens across the UK. The birds appearance can look similar to other birds another reason as to why these little creatures are hard to spot. They have mottled brown upperparts, white underparts and a long thin curved beak used to forage for insects. They are knows to fly to the base of the tree, spiralling upwards searching for their next meal. Next time you are out and about or going for a stroll through the park keep your eyes peeled for these small creatures. 

Remember to let us know if you spot any unusual or rare animals in the area and get in contact with our neighbourhood team via Wmnow. 

For non-emergency enquiries or to raise community concerns in the Wyken area, residents are encouraged to contact Coventry Police through their usual channels.

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