Police are urging the public to be vigilant when purchasing new or second-hand bikes this Christmas.

This warning to shoppers is being issued as unsuspecting buyers may purchase a stolen bike without realising.

Detective Inspector Andrew Smethurst said: "In the run-up to Christmas, many shoppers will be looking online and on social media for second-hand bikes for sale and while some of these sales will be genuine, others may not be what they seem.

"At this time of year, thieves will be looking to sell items at short notice and often shoppers in a hurry will pay cash but be warned: if a deal seems too good to be true, it generally is. Be sure to research where you are buying your items from and if possible, buy a bike from a reputable seller or supplier.”

Shoppers should also remember that knowingly handling stolen goods is a criminal offence and if a stolen bike is bought by mistake, the bike may be seized by the police, leaving the buyer out of pocket or potentially with a criminal record.

Insp Smethurst added: "We would also like to appeal to shoppers to be on the look-out for stolen bicycles, whether that’s in person or online. If anything is suspicious, they should report it to us to via our website or on 101.”

Officers are also currently investigating the theft of a number of bikes in Coddenham and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

At some point between 6pm on Tuesday 16 October and 6am on Wednesday 17 October, a number of Pinarello carbon road bikes were stolen from a trailer attached to a lorry, while it was parked in a lorry parking area at a Shell petrol station in Norwich Road.

Anyone who has witnessed the sudden arrival of one or more of these types of bikes or who may have been offered one or more for sale, are asked to call Suffolk police on 101 quoting crime reference 37/60030/18 or use the online crime reporting link - http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something.

Anyone buying a bike for Christmas should remember to purchase a lock and be sure to record the cycle frame number. Cyclists should also remove anything valuable from their bike when leaving it securely.

For further crime prevention advice regarding cycle security, visit: https://www.suffolk.police.uk/sites/suffolk/files/cyclesecurity_0.pdf

Photos are attached of bikes similar to the ones stolen in October.

          

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Police advice on a variety of subjects can be accessed via  https://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice

To report something, or to otherwise contact Police, use the link http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us 

To report something anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Alternatively call 101 for non-urgent matters.

Always call 999 in emergencies, or if an immediate police response is required.

Police Connect Team

"Not all drink-drivers this Christmas will be young men” – that is the message from Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies as both forces prepare to launch their winter campaigns.

This is in support of the national drink-drive operation, reminding people that it is not always the ‘the usual suspects' that drink and drive over the festive period.

The campaign, which was first launched in West Yorkshire in 2016, illustrates deliberate stereotype characters to challenge the public perception about those who they think may be drink-driving this December and reminds people not to drive after drinking alcohol.

The festive crackdown, which officially launches on 1 December and runs until 1 January, tackles those driving under the influence of drink or drugs and will see officers in both counties carrying out extra patrols and roadside checks. Any driver who is stopped due to concerns over the manner of their driving, a vehicle defect, or is involved in a collision, will be breathalysed.

Specific time slots at Norwich and Ipswich Magistrates' Courts have been reserved to deal with those caught drink or drug driving. This effectively means that offenders could now lose their licence within 24 hours of being breathalysed whilst facing additional fines.

Throughout the campaign roads policing officers will be using social media to share messages and provide updates on campaign results using @NSRAPT and via Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies Facebook pages.

During last year's campaign more than 3,000 drivers were tested with 152 drivers providing positive readings in total for both counties. In Norfolk 1,320 tests were carried out with 82 drivers failing while in Suffolk 1,751 tests were carried out with 70 drivers failing the test. 78 drivers failed drugs tests across both the counties. (Norfolk: 35, Suffolk: 43).

Inspector Chris Hinitt, from the Joint Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: ‘‘Driving while under the influence of drink or drugs is not acceptable, but at Christmas the risks are even more prevalent with darker nights, bad weather and sadly, more people taking the risk by drinking or using drugs and then getting behind the wheel.

"Statistically young men do form a large proportion of those whom we stop for drink-driving, however we are seeing more and more men, and increasingly women, aged over 35 who are drink-driving, many with the attitude 'it will never happen to me'. It is quite harrowing as many of the people in this age range have been targeted by decades of campaigns about the dangers of drinking before getting behind the wheel. Last December, almost 92% of everyone who were arrested for drink-driving offences nationally, were aged over 25.

"These are people from all backgrounds, ethnicity and genders. Many of them have professional careers, they may have children and grandchildren and yet they are still choosing to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. We want to continue to drive home the message and make drink-driving socially unacceptable, no matter how old you are.

"There could be serious consequences to driving under the influence of drink or drugs including being involved in a serious collision where you or someone else is injured or killed. It is just not worth the risk.

"The number of drink-driving charges is decreasing nationally which is a step in the right direction. While we would like to think that this is because people are more aware of the dangers of getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, the reality is that the decline is small and there are still plenty of people out there willing to take the risk.”

Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore, said: "Every Christmas we remind drivers of the dangers that drink and drugs cause behind the wheel and every year sadly there are still some that do not take heed. I find this extremely frustrating.  It beggars belief that despite the obvious dangers, too many motorists still take to the road under the influence of alcohol or drugs and as this campaign has highlighted it is not just ‘the usual suspects’.

"All drivers need to understand that drink driving risks lives and the lives of others, it is grossly irresponsible and selfish.  

"Too many people lose their lives on our roads and that’s why we have invested in extra roads policing – we’re doing all we can to keep our roads safe, we need everyone out on our county’s road to do the same.”  

Cllr Mary Evans, cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs at Suffolk County Council, added: "This is a vital campaign aimed at those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol over the Christmas period. Sadly, despite repeated warnings and the obvious dangers, many motorists under the influence still take to the roads.  

"This campaign once again highlights the terrible dangers and risks of getting behind the wheel when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The campaign also challenges commonly held perceptions because the evidence shows that those caught drink driving are more likely to those aged over 35.  

"Suffolk Highways are working closely with the police and fire service to promote the campaign, this includes holding events at local supermarkets to highlight the dangers to people purchasing alcohol.”

The campaign starts on Saturday 1 December and runs until Tuesday 1 January and will see officers carrying out roadside checks throughout the day and night – including in the early morning – as well as intelligence-led enforcement activity. The public are also encouraged to report any concerns relating drink or drug driving anonymously using Crimestoppers at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.

Suffolk Police has been provided with extra resources to tackle the issue of speeding in the county, in the form of additional enforcement officers and new cameras. This follows Road Safety Week which ran from Monday 19 November and ended, Sunday 25 November.

Two additional Community Enforcement Officers (CEOs) have been recruited, doubling the number operating across the county to four.

The two new officers will use Ford Transit Connect vans that carry portable camera equipment and will focus primarily on those sites across Suffolk where local communities have raised speeding issues – either via complaints, parish councils, Community Speedwatch data or from information from the constabulary’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

These smaller vans are able to access sites where the traditional safety camera vans are too big to enforce – thus increasing the range of areas which can be targeted. Officers will use mobile equipment away from the vans when enforcing at 30mph and 40mph sites.

In addition to the new officers, three new cameras have been purchased for the larger speed enforcement vans. These cameras are able to detect offences up to 750 metres away, which is seven times the distance the existing cameras are able to do so. These are primarily used along dual-carriageways and other A roads.

The funding for these additional resources has been provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Suffolk Constabulary and Suffolk County Council, the key partners of the county’s RoadSafe board.

Commenting on the new personnel and equipment, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Megicks said: "I am delighted we are able to announce this investment in personnel and equipment following Road Safety Week.

"Speeding is consistently raised as a concern by many communities, particularly in villages and along rural roads, so by recruiting these two new enforcement officers and enhanced cameras, we are increasing our ability to combat speeding across the county, which is one of the ‘fatal four’ causes of serious collisions.

"The new cameras being used in the larger vans will enhance our ability to detect offences along major arterial routes and in particular roads identified as having a high-number of collisions, thereby helping to make our roads safer for all users.”

Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "Keeping our roads safe for all road users is a key priority for us so I am very pleased to be able to work with the Constabulary and the County Council to promote road safety through the RoadSafe board.

"These new vans funded by RoadSafe complement the speed enforcement being carried out by the Constabulary right across the county and the great work of our Community Speedwatch groups.  

"I would like to take the opportunity following Road Safety Week to repeat my messages about keeping safe on our roads. We should all be aware of the Fatal Four – the four key causes of collisions involving death or serious injury – which are speed, not wearing seatbelts, driving while drunk or on drugs and using mobile phones while driving. If we do, we will certainly make our roads safer for everyone.”

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Police are urging residents to be vigilant to cold callers claiming to be police officers following two incidents in the east of the county.

On Monday 12 November an elderly female victim in Lowestoft received a call on from someone claiming to be a Colchester based police officer informing her that someone has used her account and asked her to provide her bank details to conduct investigations. He also claimed they had a man had been detained for placing a large amount of money into a fraudulent account and said she needed to withdraw a large sum of money from her local bank. The male also arranged for someone to collect a quantity of cash from her property while she was still on the phone. She was also told not to inform her family and friend of the incident for at least 48 hour

A further incident was reported on 17 November in Southwold with a suspect pretending to be a police officer from Essex phoning an elderly female victim stating she has been scammed and that she needs to withdraw a large amount of money and that a large sum of money needed to be transferred from her savings into her current account.

PC Amy Yeldham from Lowestoft police urged for residents to be vigilant to this scam. She said: "We’re urging members of the public, particularly the elderly who are primarily being targeted, to be vigilant to cold calls made on the telephone.

"Genuine police officers or staff would never approach residents and ask for cash withdrawals to be made or for people to purchase items on their behalf.

"I would ask people with vulnerable relatives, friends or neighbours to make sure they are aware of this type of scam.”

Officers have this advice:

• Never give out personal information about your bank account to anybody over the phone.
• If someone calls claiming to be a police officer, ask for their identification number and police force. Hang up and call 101 using a different phone. If you can’t use a different phone, wait at least five minutes before calling back. A genuine police officer will not mind waiting while you check.
• Police and banks will never ask you to give out personal details such as account numbers or PIN numbers. 
• If you have given out information which could compromise your bank account security in any way, call your bank to cancel your cards as soon as possible.
• Never hand over money to someone at the door to be sent off elsewhere.

Anyone with concerns about such calls should contact Suffolk Constabulary on the non-emergency number 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Police are renewing appeals to trace a Hollesley Bay prisoner who has been missing since Friday 9th November.

Gerry Sergeant, aged 61, was due to return to the prison at 8pm on Friday 9 November, after being released on temporary licence to attend a work placement in Bury St Edmunds, which he travelled to on a motorcycle.

He is serving a 15-year sentence for robbery and theft.

He is described as 5ft 11in tall, of thin build, with brown eyes, white hair, clean shaven and tattoos on both forearms. He was last seen wearing motorcycle clothing and the motorbike he was riding is a red Honda 125cc, registration number AO11 VMZ.

Sergeant has links to London and members of the public are advised not to approach him.

Anyone who believes they may have seen Sergeant, or who has any information regarding his whereabouts, is asked to contact Suffolk Police on 101 quoting reference 65107/18.

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Police are appealing for information following a burglary at a home in Earl Soham and Bedingfield.

The two incidents occurred on Sunday 11 November.  Between 6am and 8pm, a home in Kenton Road Bedingfield was entered by using a concrete garden ornament to force open the lower half of a stable door.  Once inside, the offender(s) have made an untidy search.  Watches, cuff links, a metal torch and a Karcher window cleaner were stolen.  Curtains were drawn, so the crime may have occurred after dark (37-65471-18) 

During the evening of Sunday 11 November, possibly between 7.30pm and 8pm, Police received reports of three offenders at a property in a rural location near Earl Soham.  Entry was gained to the property using a flower pot to smash rear patio doors.  An untidy search of the property was made.  Unsure if anything has been stolen. (37-65452-18)

Officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything unusual in this area. Anyone with information is asked to contact Suffolk Police on 101 quoting crime reference 37-65471-18 or use the online crime reporting link - http://www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something

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9 Nov 18