By Inspector Maxine Cilia, Spelthorne Borough Commander
A hot topic in the news and on the po-lice radar is the theft of catalytic convert-ers from motor vehi-cles. Often thieves target vehicles in the 3 to 4 year old bracket where the catalytic converters contain many recyclable metals which are of a premium value. There are a number of models which particularly get targeted including Honda, Toyota and Lexus vehi-cles. What can you do to stop yourself being a target? Well, you can take some choices of crime prevention such as an anti-theft device fitted but some of these can be costly. Consider the following: If you have a driveway which is gated lock the gates. If you park on the road, consider parking in a well-lit area, under CCTV and be vigilant. Take a look at https://www.surrey.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/catalytic-converter-theft/ for some great tips. We know that many of the suspects linked to this crime are part of organised criminal gangs and more recently there has been a spate of violence associated with these gangs. Always call 999 if you see it happening and do not intervene as the suspects may use violence to aid their getaway. Where do all the catalytic converters go? This is a really unanswerable question? Once they are removed from a vehicle, having usually been sawn off very quick-ly, they are fairly indistinguishable from any other catalytic converter from the same model. We have trialled marking kits but it is reliant upon the owner being able to get the vehicle marked which in-volves a trip to the garage. It is suspected that rogue metal dealers assist in the recycling of these items but this is the information police need assis-tance with. If you have any information please call us 101, or contact us via our web-site www.surrey.police.uk or even call Crimestoppers 0800 333 111.
One other constant topic coming to the notice of police is dangerous dogs and dogs out of control. It is easy to say that if you have a dog which is unpredictable or may attack, it simply should be kept on a lead and you should consider putting a muzzle on it. A lot of police time is spent trying to identify dogs which have at-tacked and bitten people in public areas. There is a PSPO in place in Spelthorne, which is not widely known. This has clear guidance around areas that dogs are al-lowed in and specifically bans them from certain children’s play parks and sports areas. It also has sections on dog fouling and dog being required to be on leads.
The full details are available at https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/article/20314/Public-Space-Protection-Order-dog-control.
Please stay safe and continue to report incidents to Surrey Police.