Safer Neighbourhood Panel Meeting and Mobile Phone Crime

There will be a Safer Neighbourhood Panel Meeting this Thursday 24th May which involves local police, councillors, Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators together with the ATA security representative. If there are any issues or concerns you would like raised at this meeting then please email tina.m.pugh@btinternet.com.

Also, we need to report a local resident was subject to mobile phone theft last Friday along Greenwich High Road. The phone was snatched by assailants on a moped, causing the victim to fall to the ground and incur injury. This type of crime is becoming increasingly popular within London and, unfortunately, within Greenwich, especially at busy locations such as within the high street and outside the DLR and train station.

Often victims are approached from behind while talking or texting on phones. Criminals on mopeds or bicycles may mount the pavement to grab the phone or snatch it from the road. Sometimes when it’s a moped, a pillion passenger will snatch it. Follow these simple steps to help protect your phone: 

Be aware of your surroundings

• If you need to call or use your phone on the street, look out for anyone on a bike or a moped near you
• Make it quick so you don’t become distracted
• Don’t text while you’re walking – you won’t notice what’s going on around you
• If that’s not possible, stand away from the roadside close to a building or wall so no one can come up behind you
• Going hands free can prevent a thief from snatching your phone out of your hand

Use the security features on your phone

• You must switch on your phone’s security features to protect your phone
• Use the keypad lock so that thieves cannot immediately access your phone, or use the biometric authentication if your phone has it (finger print or facial recognition)
• Your phone may have other security features you can use.  These could allow you to wipe data, lock your handset, or prevent a thief from restoring a phone to its factory settings from another internet device

Know how to identify your phone if it’s stolen

• Every phone has an IMEI number which helps police and insurance companies to identify it if it’s stolen. UK network operators can also stop a stolen phone from working across their networks with its IMEI
• Find your IMEI number by dialing *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it. If the phone is stolen, report the number to your mobile provider to stop it being used
• Register your phone and other property at www.immobilise.com to help police recover stolen property and combat the sale of stolen goods.  Police recover more than 2500 items on average a month registered to the website.

Tina Pugh

Security Team