Newton Aycliffe Neighbourhood Police Team Sergeant Mark Edwards brings us his latest blog on Aycliffe Today…
Change – it’s inevitable. In a matter of fact sort of way, everything changes.
Policing and change go hand in hand. As criminals adapt, crime types evolve, so too must our approach to tackling issues.
So why this talk about change?
If you go back over previous blogs you will see talk of officers leaving, new officers joining the team and so forth.
It comes with the territory. Officers come and go for a variety of reasons, sometimes for operational necessity, sometimes for personal reasons (promotion, development etc).
Here on the Neighbourhood Team we’ve had our fair share of change over the last couple of years, and more’s to come.
PC Tracy Henderson has resigned from the organisation and as I type this she is working her last days. Tracy has been the dedicated beat officer for the Woodham area for the past year alongside PCSO Amy Jorgeson. Prior to that she looked after West Ward.
Naturally, this will leave a vacancy on the post which we are looking to fill. More details will follow on that one.
The day will come when I to will have moved on and you’ll either be nostalgically reminiscing as you long for my blog, or thinking ‘it’s about time!’.
Anyhow, for now I’m not going anywhere and that’s all I’ll say on the subject of change.
What crime has been hitting Aycliffe then lately?
I’m going to focus on what we call ‘2-in-1’ burglaries. These are when criminals enter your home, steal your car keys, and then use them to take your vehicle.
Aycliffe has seen a steady rise in crimes of this nature lately. As I type this, we have just responded to calls that a silver Toyota Yaris had collided with parked vehicles in the King’s Drive area and two persons (one male, one female) made off from the car.
Enquiries soon revealed that the Toyota Yaris had been stolen with keys from a ‘2-in-1’ at Merlin Court either late last night or during the early hours.
What’s worse is that the offenders entered the house through the front door which had been unlocked.
This is the same thing we see with the majority of ‘2-in-1’ crimes – entry into the property has almost always been effortless with doors left unlocked.
This is the thing that makes me, as a police officer, want to smack my head off a wall.
We try and push the message – via the press, via social media, leaflet drops etc.
During the subsequent enquiries that followed after the stolen vehicle was recovered by police, colleagues of mine were conducting house-to-house enquiries in the area of Merlin Court.
Considering the nature of the crime under investigation my officers were alarmed to be confronted by a set of house keys hanging out of a door lock!
This is the constant battle that we are enduring. I would rather take on the actual criminals themselves rather than have to address the complacency of many victims-to-be!
It’s been a while since my last blog, so back to some court results. I suspect they’re the headline act…
Kieran Lewis Chisholm, 20, from Kenny Walk in Aycliffe, appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court on 20th August charged with possession of cannabis following the execution of a search warrant at the address recently by the NPT. He was conditionally discharged for 12 months, ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge, and ordered to pay £85 court costs.
Luke Graham Beasley, 28, of Ramsay Drive, Ferryhill, appeared at Aycliffe Magistrates Court on 20th August charged with theft of a duvet set from Poundstretchers. He was found guilty and committed to prison for five days.
Trevor John Stifman, 35, of Raby Road, Ferryhill, appeared at Aycliffe Magistrates Court on 11th August charged with criminal damage at an address in Aycliffe. He was made subject of a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim in the case and from entering Hatfield Road, Aycliffe. He was conditionally discharged for 18 months and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.
Catch you next time, so stay tuned….
Mark J Edwards
Aycliffe Neighbourhood Team