In the know

Bulletin 12   May 23rd – June 5th 2024

Dear Residents

June 3rd was World Bike Day and so here are a few tips on ways to protect it.

Using two locks slows thieves down and makes your bike less of a target. Use two quality locks, at least one of which is a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools, so use two different types of lock if possible.

Lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand.

Secure your bike as close to the stand as possible to give any thieves little or no room to manoeuvre.

Take parts that are easy to remove with you, such as wheels, lights, baskets or the saddle. Or use locking skewers or nuts which can increase security by securing the bike's components to the frame permanently.

Lock your bike at recognised secure cycle parking. It should be well lit and covered by CCTV.

Register your frame number on a national bike registration database approved by Secured by Design 

The frame number is usually found underneath the bike between the pedals or where the back wheel slots in. If your bike is ever stolen and recovered by the police, it can be traced back to you.

Get your bike security marked. It’s a highly effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves. They know that if they are caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced and they will be arrested. 

Security marking products can be found at Secured by Design  AND

On Saturday June 8th PCSO Conrad Cheeseman will be on hand to mark your bike for FREE between 10.00 and 15.00 at the ON YOUR BIKE STORE, LONDON ROAD, FELBRIDGE RH19 2RQ

Take the same care to lock your bike securely at home as you would on the street. Avoid advertising that you have a bike at home, for example, by removing car roof racks, and creating ‘privacy zones’ on apps like Strava to avoid disclosing your location. 

Ask for proof of ownership and check the bike frame number on national bike registration databases approved by Secured by Design .

If your bike has been stolen, contact us as soon as possible by calling 101 or reporting online. Give us your frame number, cycle database number, a photo and any other details and make sure you update the status on the cycle database where you registered it. The sooner we know, the sooner we can act, which might stop it being sold on.

Inspector Lyndsey Whatley

Tandridge Safer Neighbourhood Inspector

CRIME REPORTS IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

Our Neighbourhood Patrol Team and Safer Neighbourhood Team deal with a variety of incidents. Here are a few they dealt with since the last Bulletin and a Court Result.

There were 32 Arrests in the period May 21st to June 2nd    : Domestic Abuse / Violent Domestic Abuse 13, Violent Crime Other 2,   Violent Crime Public Place 2, Alcohol Related 1, Child at Risk 1, Prescribed Limit Offence 2, RTC Serious Injury 1, Sexual Offence 1, Intentional Cruelty to Animals 1, Suspected Weapons Offences 3, Going Equipped 2, Public Order 1, Drug Related 1.

While you were sleeping on Christmas Day…our officers were putting in a stop on two armed poachers on Titsey Hill in Oxted.

Shortly before midnight on 25th December, a man was spotted sneaking through the woods carrying a large sack. No, it wasn’t Father Christmas running late to deliver a final present...This man was not alone: he was accompanied by a second man with a firearm.

Our armed response officers turned out, guided from the skies by our colleagues in NPAS (National Police Air Service), and with perfect teamwork they tracked and detained the men in an armed stop.

Officers seized an air rifle and a bag of dead pheasants, and Anas Abdulla Azizi, 21, (28/06/2002) of Brighton, and Sirwan Muhammad Salih, 41, (11/02/1983) of Derby, were arrested for night poaching. Both pleaded guilty on Tuesday, 21st May at Guildford Crown Court, and were ordered to pay compensation.

Poachers often operate at night, using lights and firearms to hunt animals such as pheasants, rabbits, and deer in farmland or woodland. This offence can have a serious financial impact on gamekeepers, farmers, and landowners, who often put themselves at risk trying to confront armed offenders by themselves. If you believe a poaching offence is taking place, call 999.

A male driver was arrested in Tatsfield on May 25th after failing a breath test. His car had been involved in a road traffic collision in Oxted sometime earlier and he had driven off without exchanging details with a third party.

Witness Appeal Caterham on The Hill

We are appealing for witnesses following a large fire that started in a two-storey car park in Caterham on The Hill in the early hours of Thursday May 30th.

Officers were called to the address in Raglan Precinct at around 3am to assist fire crews who were at the scene. Three cars were destroyed, and the car park is currently deemed structurally unsafe and awaits further assessment by specialists.

We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in the area or may have any dashcam footage relating to this incident to contact us.

If you saw or heard anything, or you have any other information which could assist, please quote ref 45240060746. How to contact us

 If your area is NOT referred to below it is because we have not been informed of the crime or it has not been affected by reported crime in the categories below. Feedback from you will help to achieve the most appropriate circulation of information. 

LINGFIELD, DORMANSLAND, FELBRIDGE AND BLINDLEY HEATH  

Burglary Residential including sheds and garages

Copthorne Road, Felbridge. Overnight May 23rd to 24th a house under renovation was broken into and power tools were taken (ref 45240058604).

Burglary Business and Community

Plough Road, Dormansland. Around 22.30 May 25th two males entered the back gate of a pub and tried all the windows and doors before leaving. One male was wearing a grey T shirt tied around his head with a long sleeve top with a white stripe at the front horizontal across the chest, dark trousers and white trainers. The second male had a black Nike hoodie pulled up over the head, black Nike trousers both with a white stripe vertically down the arms and legs on both sides, dark trainers and a black face covering on the lower half of the face (ref 45240059222).

Theft

Newchapel Road, Lingfield.  Around 19.15 June 2nd a car parked in the driveway of a house and a female described as white , age early 30’s with blonde hair walked into the garden and removed a mobile phone . On being challenged she handed the phone back making an excuse in an Eastern European accent. She was then driven off in a grey Mitsubishi. A photo of the suspect and the index number of the car have been given to police (ref 45240062317).

Vehicle Crime

London Road, Felbridge – Theft. Between 01.00 and 02.00 May 24th the side door of a van was forced open and numerous tools mostly De Walt ones were stolen. CCTV revealed three offenders were involved driving a black Ford Fiesta on cloned index plates. The incident is linked to theft of tools from a house under renovation in Copthorne Road on the same night (ref 45240058522).

High Street, Dormansland - Attempt Theft. Around22.06 May 25th two males entered the driveway of a property and attempted to remove a motorbike before being disturbed, their descriptions matched those of the males described in the Plough Road incident (ref 45240059463).

Eastbourne Road, Blindley Heath – Arson. Around 01.00 May 27th a car was found completely burnt out in a pub car park (ref 45240059568).

BLETCHINGLEY

Vehicle Crime

Godstone Road, Bletchingley – Theft. Overnight June 2nd to 3rd index plates SS58SBS were stolen from a car (ref 45240062554).

 OXTED AND LIMPSFIELD

Theft

Gresham Road, Oxted. Between 08.00 and midnight May 25th the lock securing a bike to a bike rack was smashed and a black Carrera Subway Hybrid bike with red writing on the frame was stolen (ref 45240059132).

Brassey Road, Limpsfield. Overnight May 31st to June 1st an outside hose reel was stolen from a house (ref 45240062090).

Vehicle Crime

Holland Lane, Oxted. Around 17.30 May 30th a delivery van driver left the vehicle with the keys in it as he delivered a parcel. A male with blonde hair wearing a grey tracksuit walking on the opposite side of the road is believed to be the suspect who drove off in the van which was later found abandoned. A wallet containing a passport, bank cards together with a Samsung Power Bank and ipods had been stolen (ref 45240061437).

Bluehouse Lane, Oxted – Theft. Around 15.30 June 4th after a workman left his van with the keys in it for a few minutes whilst he moved a traffic management sign, the van was stolen. It was a white Ford Transit with yellow stickers and Chevron Traffic Management written on it index YR72FLD. The van contained various A frame signs, sandbags, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and a man bag with driving licence, bank card, silver Adidas glasses and a brown leather wallet. A mobile phone inside the van was tracked to Chestnut Avenue, Westerham but found completely smashed (ref 45240053140).

CATERHAM, WHYTELEAFE AND CATERHAM ON THE HILL 

Burglary Residential including sheds and garages

Godstone Road,Whyteleafe . Around 03.35May 24th CCTV revealed a suspect trying to force open a front door of a house without success (ref 45240058495).

Harestone Valley Road, Caterham. Around 01.07 May 29th an attempt was made to enter a flat and tool marks were found on the window frame (ref 45240060584).

Anzio Gardens, Caterham on The Hill, Between 23.00 May 30th and 15.00 May 31st the door frame of a French door was damaged in an unsuccessful attempt to enter a house (ref 45240061533).

Theft

Drake Avenue, Caterham on The Hill. Overnight May 17th to 18th a roll of fence worth around £500 was stolen from the front of a house (ref 45240056132).

Station Avenue, Caterham. Around 14.00 June 5th the victim was distracted by a male as she was withdrawing cash from an ATM outside a bank. The male managed to remove the victim’s card from the ATM and cash was withdrawn so afterwards at two locations in the town. The suspect was described as an African male , about 5ft 6” tall, brown hair,  mid 50’s wearing a dark coloured baseball cap, large loose fitting jacket (ref 45240063581).

Crime Public Order 

Heath  Road, Caterham on The Hill. Around 02.20 May 26th police were called following a report from the victim that 3 males were reversing their car out of the victim’s driveways and shouting at the informant that they were police and telling him to immediately open the door of the car he was sitting in . The victim locked the door and kept beeping his horn to raise alarm, and the males who had got out of their vehicle got back in saying ’’ WE ARE COMING BACK, WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU’’ and then drove out from driveway. .One suspect was described as a white male, aged between 40-50,bald head , white trainers, black hoody and black tracksuit bottoms. A second suspect was described as white, aged between 20-30, dark Jacket long sleeve light top and light blue jeans and white trainers with brown hair.  There is no description of the third suspect (ref45240059239).

Harestone Hill, Caterham – Theft. Around 22.38 May 26th a wheel was stolen from a van and the wheel nuts found on the floor (ref 45240059531).

Vehicle Crime

Park Road, Caterham on the Hill – Theft. Around 01.16 June 3rd index plates LC19ENR were stolen from a car (ref 45240062503).Around 03.00 June 3rd index plates Yc64UEY were also stolen from a car (ref 45240063023).

WARLINGHAM AND TATSFIELD 

Burglary Business and Community

Limpsfield Road, Warlingham. Around 03.07 June 3rd the front shutters of a shop/post office were prised open and the door behind the shutter was smashed.  A safe containing £6,000 and cash in a till were then stolen. It is believed the offenders were driving a black SUV (ref 45240062373).

If you have to contact us about a non-urgent matter or to provide information on non-urgent suspicious matters or unusual behaviour you have observed which may be useful intelligence for us at a future date please email Tandridge Safer Neighbourhood Team:  tandridge@surrey.police.uk 
The information you provide will be read and treated in confidence when the staff are next on duty.

We have a portal for circumstances where no crime has been reported, but the suspicious behaviour could potentially be related to a burglary, theft of a vehicle, or catalytic converter, for example. We have a different unique link we provide to victims and witnesses when a burglary has occurred.

To find out more about the portal and submit your footage visit this link: https://surrey.police.uk/suspiciousactivityportal

How to contact us with information when we issue Witness Appeals or Appeals for information

Any recipient of Neighbourhood Alert is free to copy our Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter to any other interested party who can also register to receive the bulletin at: https://neighbourhoodalert.co.uk

You can read past editions on the Tandridge Neighbourhood Watch website www.tandridgenhw.org  if you click on the tab headed Police

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If you wish to report a NON URGENT crime visit:
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