A November Update from Totnes Police

Welcome: new temporary Inspector covering South Hams
The police team in Totnes would like to welcome Inspector Mark Stevens to the team. Mark joins the team with over 17 years of experience. He will be heading up neighbourhood police officers across South Hams, including Dartmouth and Ivybridge.

Insp Stevens said: “I’ve been in position for just over a month now and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know Totnes and understanding the community and the challenges it faces. It’s evident after working closely with the neighbourhood officers just how much the safety of the local community and its residents mean to the team.

“I’m looking forward to continuing pushing the proactive work happening across Totnes to keep our communities safe, pursue criminals and deter crime. I’ll be joining the neighbourhood officers on regular patrols – so when you see us out and about, please do come and speak to us. Whether it’s just to say hello or chat about a concern you have, we want to hear from you.”

Shoplifting: what police are doing approaching the festive season

I have no doubt that we’ll soon (probably sooner than we’d like!) be greeted by more appearances of elves on the shelves, tempting chocolate selection boxes and an overwhelming choice of gift wrap during the lead up to the festive season. As I’m sure we all know, this season is especially busy for shopping and with this unfortunately comes an increase in opportunist shoplifters and those looking to thieve from unsuspecting individuals.

We know how frustrating it can be for businesses to be targeted by criminals. To make sure Totnes remains a safe place for our retailers and their employees, we’ll be upping our patrols. You’ll see our officers on the beat calling into shops to chat with workers, giving out handy crime prevention advice and providing a strong presence in the community, to deter criminals.

We want to send a message that our officers will be taking action against prolific offenders, we do take reports seriously and we will continue to work closely with our business community to gather information about crimes and suspects. Please continue to come forward to tell us what’s going on – whether you’re a shopper that sees something, an employee or a manager – your information is vital. Thank you.

Crime prevention: theft from vehicles

The change of season can bring about opportunist criminals who tend to take advantage of the darker evenings, like those who look to steal items from vehicles. So as the days grow shorter and the nights longer, we’d like to remind the residents of Totnes of some simple steps they can take to keep themselves and their property safe, while deterring potential criminals.

• Don’t leave shopping or valuables in your vehicle (especially as the festive season approaches), even a coat or spare change can entice an opportune criminal
• When at home, keep your vehicle keys away from the front door and store them out of sight
• Park your vehicle in a safe and well-lit area. It only takes seconds for a thief to take valuables from your vehicle
• Keep your vehicle locked at all times and windows closed

For more handy tips, visit the Devon & Cornwall Police website: Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Devon & Cornwall Police

Keeping connected with our communities

Approaching an officer in uniform can be intimidating and is not for everyone – we know this. We want to continue to break down barriers between the public and our officers. One of the ways we’re focusing on to help do this, is by encouraging people to sign up to Devon and Cornwall Alert.

It’s a super easy way to keep up to date with the latest police news and updates in your area. Simply sign up, select your area, your interests and you’re good to go. It’s also a two-way messaging platform, so if you have any information, comments or just want to share some feedback, you can do it all through Devon and Cornwall Alert.

Sign up for free now: Home Page – Devon and Cornwall Alert