Lightwater Police Link

Sadly last night we had a fatal accident on Windsor Road at approximately 10:30pm when two cars collided head on near Staple Hill. One male who is believed to come from the Wembley area was pronounced dead at the scene and the investigation is be handled by officers from our Collision Investigation Unit at Chertsey Traffic Garage. If you have any witness information please call them on 01932 564131 or our switchboard on 0845 125 2222.

There was an article in last weeks paper about a local male convicted of two counts of drink driving. I arrested this male on both occasions having stopped him driving in Chobham and the courts banned him for 20 months and fined a total of £1,100 plus £140 court costs. It sends a clear message out that drink driving will not be tolerated and the courts will deliver heavy fines and lengthy bans. If you enjoy a drink at home or in the pubs and need to get to and from please arrange a lift / taxi or take turns to be sober and be the driver.

On Saturday I dealt with 5 motorists in the villages for driving whilst using their mobile phones. Each driver received a £60 fine plus 3 points on their driving licences. If you have friends / relatives who drive whilst on the phone please encourage them to leave the phone alone as they drive or pull over to take the call. There was an excellent programme on BBC 1 last week filmed with officers based at Farnborough in Hampshire as they dealt with a fatal accident on the M3 where a lorry driver had been using his phone, didn’t realise the traffic in front had stopped and caused a 5 car collision which left a 21 year old lady dead. Her car was crushed so badly she died instantly but it took a long time for the fire service to be able to recover her body. Some of the hardest hitting points of the film were the interview with the lady’s sister as she spoke about their relationship and the impact her death had on the family and also with the Hampshire Pc who had to go the lady’s home in Aldershot and tell the mother, sister and future husband that the one they loved was dead. Please don’t drive whilst on the phone.

On Thursday 15th we conducted a joint operation with HM Prisons on Shaftsbury Road checking all persons and vehicles coming into HMP Coldingley whether they were visitors, staff or delivery drivers. We were supported by officers from Woking and Headquarters and it was extremely beneficial. A lot of good intelligence was gained concerning the movements of criminals who come to the prison to visit friends and relatives currently locked up. It had a positive impact within the prison in our joint efforts to prevent drug supply and indeed seized a substantial amount of drugs on the day. I seized approximately 1kg of cannabis plus heroin and other illegal contraband such as mobile phones and DVDs all destined for inmates. The drugs have a street value of approximately £7000 and the operation was a great success and something we will continue to run on a regular basis.

West End has been a busy area in recent times. On Friday 9th we had a series of robberies at the War Memorial with young teenagers being the victims. They were approached by two males dressed all in dark clothing with face masks on who were in possession of two knives. Threats were made and a number of mobile phones and Ipods were stolen. The offenders ran off across the recreation ground and into Meadow Way. We were at the scene very quickly and searches were conducted by local officers supported by our helicopter and a dog handler. The crimes are being investigated by Ds Wall and Dc Kendall from Woking CID. Whilst the robberies have clearly occurred I suspect local youngsters know more than they are telling as the area is busy with people and an unlikely site for a robbery. The offenders appear to have been teenagers themselves and I would urge parents / youth leaders / teachers to speak with any youngsters you have care of to see what they know as I am certain that someone local knows who these offenders are. All information you pass will be treated in the strictest confidence so please do contact either myself, Dc Paul Kendall or Crimestoppers if you have any information.

Two persons have been charged in relation to the robbery at Barclays in December. A lengthy and in-depth enquiry was conducted by CID officers based at Woking led by Det Insp Wendy Whiting who began her career as a Pc at Lightwater. Nicholas Zialor, a 40 year old male from Essex was charged with robbery and Gemma Roberts aged 21 who was from West Molesey but worked at Barclays in Lightwater as a cashier was charged with robbery and handling stolen goods. They both appeared before Woking Magistrates and the case has been transferred to Guildford Crown Court.

At just after 2am on Monday 12th March a burglary occurred at the Lions Pharmacy on Guildford Road. The offenders used a brick to smash a window and gain entry. They stole the till and a quantity of money. The matters is being investigated by officers from CID and our Scenes of Crime Officer attended. It would appear this offence may link to similar crimes which have occurred in Chertsey and Shepperton so we may have a group of people travelling around Surrey targeting chemists.

On Wednesday 7th a BMW was stolen during the afternoon on Guildford Road in the village centre. The registration number is P249 DPG so if you should see this vehicle please call us as soon as you can.