Lightwater Police Link

You may recall from previous e-mails I mentioned some robberies that occurred in West End on 9th March whereby young persons were robbed of their phones and Ipods. Over the weekend we arrested nine local youths for robbery and conspiracy to rob as a result of the ongoing enquiry. All have been interviewed and released on bail whilst further enquiries take place. The investigation is being led by Dc Paul Kendall from Woking CID and it is looking very promising.

On 19th April we ran an operation at HMP Coldingley where all vehicles and persons heading towards the prison were stopped on Shaftsbury Road. We speak with all the persons and if they are genuine local residents we let them continue on but if they are heading to the prison whether as visitors / staff / workers we check their identity, ensure if visitors they have the correct documents and run everyone’s details through our computers. It is a great deterrent to stop people trying to get drugs and other illegal contraband into the prison. Where grounds exist to do so we search the persons and vehicles. We staff this with both Police and HMP officers and use drugs search dogs to assist. We dealt with two people for minor drug offences and seized one vehicle which was being driven by a male who did not have a driving licence. This male is very active in crime and whilst we could establish he was in possession of the vehicle legally it was nice to disrupt his lifestyle, prosecute him for traffic offences, seize his vehicle and make him walk home.

Bisley Fc has had another burglary, this time overnight 27th / 28th April. Extensive damage was caused to the doors and once inside the fruit machine was smashed and various items of sporting memorabilia was stolen. Our scenes of crime officers have attended and will be following up various lines of enquiry.

On 27th April a house was burgled on Broadway Road, Lightwater where the offenders broke in during gained access by rear windows. Once inside they stole computer equipment and DVDs. Household burglaries have been few and far between recently and lets hope it stays that way.

As you will be aware the travellers in Chobham have moved on and are now up in the Addlestone area. I known the council and other agencies have been doing their bit over the last couple of days and put some barriers up in and around Burrowhill to prevent further access. We get plenty of calls about traveller incursions and if you have any concerns when they occur please feel free to contact us or the local borough council. Incursions are a matter of trespass and dealt with in civil law but we will assist where appropriate. If you contact us about incursions the councils can ask for information / calls we have received under information sharing protocols to support their court application for eviction so your information is important.

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.

the Christmas season gets even closer the burglars are out there looking for all those presents. Over the past three weeks we have had three house burglaries in the villages. There was a burglary in Commonfields, West End where the offenders gained entry by breaking in through the back door. They stole jewellery, wine and electrical goods. A house in Bracken Way, Chobham was broken into with the offenders forcing a rear UPVC window but nothing was stolen so it is very possible they were disturbed shortly after gaining entry. The other burglary was on Chertsey Road, Windlesham where the offenders again forced open a rear door and this time stole £350 in cash. Please ensure your house is kept secure and importantly if you see any suspicious persons or vehicles please call us asap.

Do you know Desmond Trussell. He is a 44 year old male from Chobham and I arrested him in September for drink driving and due to his behaviour had to use CS spray on him. He was charged with two offences but has failed to appear at Woking Magistrates. We have been looking for him and some people have suggested he may be in Portugal as he owes a number of people money. If you should have any questions please call us.

Chobham has had a couple of thefts from motor vehicles as has neighbouring Windlesham. Officers from our autocrime unit led by Ds Paul Warriner who are based at Woking have been working hard tackling thefts from vehicles across the entire area and have had some good results recently. Many of these crimes are committed by people travelling into the area utilising the good road links to get in and out quickly. Please make sure you don’t leave valuables and items such as sat navs are not left on display in the vehicle.

Last week I arrested two males who had caused damage to Chobham Village Hall by smashing some windows on a door. As a result one of them lacerated his hand from the broken glass and had to be treated at St Peters. Both fully admitted the offences when I interviewed them, both were of previous good character and received fines totalling £160 and are also liable for repair costs via civil debts.

A shotgun was found in a ditch off Gracious Pond Road by members of the Chobham and District Angling Club. It has been damaged by the weather and proving difficult to identify but we know it is a .410 bolt action shotgun. It is concerning that someone is prepared to dump a shotgun on the roadside where anyone could have picked it up. We are making enquiries but should you have any information please call.

Yesterday I stopped a white pick up truck after seeing in acting suspiciously on Scotts Grove Road. The three occupants were all known to us and from the Virginia Water area and could not offer any reason for their actions. They were all searched as was the vehicle but nothing was found, however they were clearly up to no good but we got to them first before they could do anything. We are out there stopping suspicious persons and vehicles but do need your help to report things to us.

Bisley continues to be the safest ward with the fewest crimes. At the start of the month someone has stolen the number plates to a Vauxhall Corsa from the Fox Garage, the number being KS55 YMX. We often find people steal number plates and then put them onto identical cars and go off on a crime spree in the knowledge that unless they get stopped in the vehicle or at the crime scene it is difficult for us to trace them. If you should see anyone acting suspiciously near a vehicle or indeed tampering with it in anyway please call us asap. We continue to work closely with HMP Coldingley to ensure visits to inmates by relatives pass off smoothly and no packages are thrown over the perimeter fence.