Hello again everyone,

Another update on what's been happening on the ward and what the team have been up to over the past few weeks.....

BURGLARY
As you know from my last email there was a burglary at an address in Dartford Road on 21/05/2019. Unfortunately the suspects for this are still at large but through information sharing with the Dartford & Swanley team in Kent Police we were able to obtain some more footage of the suspects committing burglaries in Kent and found a number plate on the suspect's scooter. Unfortunately this has been cloned so it did not lead us to the suspects. However an action report has been added to the ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) system for officers to stop an obtain details of anyone seen riding a moped with this number plate. Should you see any mopeds carrying two people circling your road or neighbouring roads then please try and take note of the registration and as much of a description of the moped and the people on it and contact police immediately. 

There was also a burglary on Ellenborough Road which occurred on 22/05/2019 whereby the suspects forced a window open with a screwdriver. Nothing was taken. Fortunately a neighbour caught the suspects on CCTV. There were four white male suspects who arrived and left in a stolen black Audi A1. A Kent police vehicle happened to be on the ward shortly after this burglary and pursued this vehicle in to Bromley where the vehicle crashed and the occupants ran from the vehicle. Two of the four males were detained by officers and arrested. They are thought to be concerned in burglaries in Kent also. The investigation continues in relation to these males by both Kent and Met police. I will try and keep you informed of any updates.

Unfortunately there was a burglary on Salisbury Road overnight on 12/06/2019. There was no signed of forced entry but it is believed the suspect may have gained access by slipping the yale lock on the front door which is unusual as most of the time the entry points have been via the rear. The occupant have several mobile phones and laptops stolen.

We have also had a couple of non-residential burglaries, one at a mechanics garage and another at a club house at a football/rugby playing field. Both are close by to Bexley Village. Nothing was taken at either of these burglaries.

MOTOR VEHICLE CRIME
We are still continuing to have vans broken in to both on residential streets and also when parked in the car parks around Bexley Village and The Holiday Inn. The suspects either drill out the locks or smash windows and steal tools which amounts to thousands of pounds in a lot of cases. We continue to patrol the car parks as often as we can.

On 28/05/2019 a van was broken in to and tools stolen while it was parked at a business premises in Bourne Road.

On 01/06/2019 a car parked on Vicarage Road was broken in to and a purse was stolen from the vehicle. Over the past few months we have had a few reports whereby those using the stables on Vicarage Road have left valuables such as handbags and purses etc in their cars while parked and have had them stolen. Please do not leave any valuables in your car when it is unattended even if you only intend to be away from the vehicle for a short while.

Also on 01/06/2019 a wing mirror was stolen from a BMW which was parked on North Cray Road. On 05/06/2019 suspects attempted to break in to a van parked in the car park at Holiday Inn. The lock was damaged but fortunately the suspects didn't manage to gain access. Also on 05/06/2019 several cars were interfered with or had things stolen from them in Salisbury Road. One vehicle which was left unlocked overnight had £250 cash and a set of house keys stolen from it. 

On 17/06/2019 at 0200 hours a white Mercedes Sprinter van was stolen from Camden Road. Fortunately it has since been found & recovered in Dagenham with some damage to the ignition barrel.

OTHER NEWS
In the past month the team have been busy completing weapon sweeps across the ward paying particular attention to the footpaths around Bexley Village and park areas. Fortunately we have not come across any weapons.

On 28/05/2019 we attended Belmarsh prison to interview a prisoner about two burglaries and a shoplifting offence he had committed on our ward and also on Sidcup ward just prior to him going in to prison. Jay Langley of Ellenborough Road was charged with two counts of burglary and theft. He is currently still in prison.

This month we have also been able to charge a male for drink driving which occurred on Maiden Erlegh Avenue earlier in the year.

A male wanted for a recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions was located on Ellenborough Road, arrested and returned to prison. 

Every now and then traffic operations are conducted along North Cray Road. During an operation conducted earlier this month several cars were stopped. Where there were grounds both the occupants and the vehicles were searched. A knife was found in one vehicle and some cannabis in another leading to arrests. The team also stopped a vehicle travelling along the road with the front number plate being displayed on the dashboard. This is unfortunately an all too common occurrence. The driver was reported for the offence and will be receiving a summons to court in the near future.

Lastly for those of you who follow us on Facebook, we will be deleting our Facebook page. We are now active on a social media platform called Nextdoor and will now be using this to pass on and receive information to the ward residents. For those of you who have not heard about Nextdoor, it is a social media site which puts you in touch with other members in your neighbourhood. You will be to see and get involved in conversations with people from your road, neighbouring roads and your immediate local community. It is similar to having a WhatsApp group in your road but on a slightly larger scale. You will be able to find about social events in your area, get recommendations for traders, find out if there has been any suspicious activity or behaviour in your area etc.

Kind Regards

Sophie Scott