Crime Detection

Observe CALMLY and DISCREETLY:

Remaining calm and discreet gives you the best chance of registering and reporting what you see quickly and accurately.

Look out for anyone -

• trying car doors
• looking through house/car/shed windows
• looking under plant pots/door mats etc for keys
• loitering in residential streets. If it is no one you recognise, call the police.
• calling on vulnerable neighbours. If they look suspicious call the police
• climbing over fences or hedges
• in neighbours' back gardens when the occupants are out or away
• removing items from houses - some criminals are very bold so as NOT to arise suspicion
• deliberately setting off car alarms and running away - this is sometimes used as a tactic to get people to turn off their alarm.
• looking or doing anything suspicious/out of the ordinary. Also noises coming from a house that sound suspect or where the occupants are meant to be out.

The fact that many of the calls made to the Police by members will turn out to be false alarms, doesn't matter. The important thing, is that the information is reasonably accurate.

To help you record information that is both acurate and relevant, you should use the Police incident reporting form (form 804). Click on the link below to download the pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat). Keep several copies in a handy location so they can be accessed quickly if you see something suspicious.

Incident reporting form (110kb)