Topic ID 2966
Just happened within the hour outside of Barclays Bank. A colleague was shopping and her bank card taken from a man in a yellow visor, baggy tracksuit and gingery hair! He ran off towards Fore Street and Post Office! He was filming on his telephone - I guess to get the PIN number from my colleague's card as she was at the cashpoint! A report has been made, Barclays know and I think the Police too... but be vigilant, he was noticeable by his weird appearance according to my work colleague and be careful when withdrawing cash.. from around the Banks in our town, or do what I do, go into a branch itself or get it at Tesco checkout and then minimise your risk of having this happen in broad daylight!!!!!
Reply ID 42968
The CCTV camera on the corner regularly focuses on the cashpoints. If he was there for any length of time they should have got a shot of him. Advice is to always be aware of anyone behind you in the queue and if they are acting suspiciously move away and report it. Happily, all the cashpoints in town are covered by CCTV and the cameras often pan down to look at them.
Reply ID 42969
I input my PIN with my right hand while covering it with my left.
Reply ID 42970
quote:Sounds like Ronald McDonald! Shouldn't be too hard to catch.
Originally posted by Drama Queen
A colleague was shopping and her bank card taken from a man in a yellow visor, baggy tracksuit and gingery hair!
Reply ID 42978
Thanks for the tip-off. I often take cash out in Hertford so I'll look out for said character. You can also input your PIN with your left hand and cover with your right - which is just as effective. [;)]
Reply ID 42981
Cover it immediatly - cover for 2 £30 for 3 yrs - stop card and organise replacment - Too risky. If you can go into your branch and get the cash there.
Reply ID 42999
quote:I always try to get my cash from machines inside banks and as a rule never use a cash point if someone is behind me, will go away and come back a few minutes later when cash point is clear of people.
Originally posted by Tigger
Cover it immediatly - cover for 2 £30 for 3 yrs - stop card and organise replacment - Too risky. If you can go into your branch and get the cash there.
Reply ID 43005
I agree with all your statements (Ronald McDonald indeed!!!) however, this says it all, my colleague said, "but hertford is a nice town..." yep that's the problem, the rogues come up here because where are the Police????? We have more visible traffic wardens than them! Its so easy, more cops on the beat, less likelihood of crimes and easier to get action and report and catch said theives.. Hey and I don't have a university degree to my name!!!! I think my colleague is more shocked and bewildered than anything else.. but please be careful, don't give these horrors a hope and send them packing...
Reply ID 43008
Police on the beat would make no difference at all - this is just nostalgic whimsy. The streets are covered 24/7 by CCTV, which does more IMHO that any Bobby on the beat.
Reply ID 43009
quote:Rogues certainly come into soft touch Hertford but we also have our own quota to start off with.
Originally posted by Drama Queen
I agree with all your statements (Ronald McDonald indeed!!!) however, this says it all, my colleague said, "but hertford is a nice town..." yep that's the problem, the rogues come up here because where are the Police????? We have more visible traffic wardens than them! Its so easy, more cops on the beat, less likelihood of crimes and easier to get action and report and catch said theives.. Hey and I don't have a university degree to my name!!!! I think my colleague is more shocked and bewildered than anything else.. but please be careful, don't give these horrors a hope and send them packing...
Reply ID 43012
Since when has Hertford been a soft touch? Since I connected the CCTV with the radio network - Hertford Town Watch - the level of crime has decreased, awareness of crime has increased and after a dramatic rise the number of arrests have declined. All those toerags that came into town back in 2003/4 know they will get caught and have since departed for other towns. I know this because CCTV control tell me. Hertford Pubwatch is now giving one year banning orders on anyone committing and charged with an alcohol related offence even if in one recent example the level of damage was £200 and not £500 as is the case with BOBB. We can't do much about the purse dippers - it is a county wide disease but for those who do read the Mercury you will know that even they are being caught. You can't do much about yob behaviour - it is a national epidemic unless you have to live in Sim City. Last year I spent an afternoon with a chap from the Home Office to see if I could apply for a Safer Shopping Award. Hertford was not in the top 100 targetted towns - as was WGC, Stevenage etc. They had to go through a year long assesment, consultation, evaluation, setting up radio schemes etc etc yawn yawn. We had attained all the necessary criteria by ourselves that is - East Herts, Police, CCTV, Hertford Town Partnership. I was a little upset because I would have liked to put a little sticker in every shop but it shows how safe the town really is. From the Mercury on-line site; 190 crimes caught by Hertford's council-owned CCTV network in three months. The incidents during the first quarter of this year led to 46 arrests. Some 20 incidents involving offensive weapons were captured on CCTV between January and April, according to figures published by Hertford Town Council. A further 35 incidents were public order or drunkenness related, while 26 were of theft or shoplifting offences. A smaller proportion of arrests followed - 11 were arrested for possession of offensive weapons, 11 for public order offences and 13 for theft. Police arrested no-one for nuisance disorder, despite 19 incidents being captured on CCTV. However, just one vehicle crime seen by cameras led to three arrests. There are more than 40 cameras in Hertford, nine of which are owned by the town council and eight covering East Herts Council-run car parks. A camera in Maidenhead Street recorded the most incidents of all, with 27, while the camera that led to the most arrests was in Parliament Square, with 11. Footage from the cameras is collected and viewed at an incident control room in Stevenage. End quote See Steve's post above. We would all like to see more PC's on the beat and there will be an extra two PCSO's attached to Hertford very shortly.
Reply ID 43013
quote:It is the perception. Which is probably why the incident numbers in your post are so high. People come into Hertford to commit crime. What would be useful is if we could take each of the totals you have posted aqnd establish where the perpetrators came from? What percentage actually live in Hertford?
Originally posted by sloopjohnb
Since when has Hertford been a soft touch.
Reply ID 43016
quote:High compared to where? Do you have any figures from other towns to compare with?
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Which is probably why the incident numbers in your post are so high.
quote:I think it's a well known fact that much of Hertford's crime is imported, which is one of the reasons why an additional CCTV camera was installed overlooking Hertford East station. I think Sloop has mentioned before that most people appearing at the Magistarates Court have addresses outside the town.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
What would be useful is if we could take each of the totals you have posted aqnd establish where the perpetrators came from? What percentage actually live in Hertford?
Reply ID 43023
quote:I wasn't comparing the figures to any other town. I was providing an alternative interpretation of the figures given in the Mercury quote which appeared to be using them to demonstrate success. If the cameras were as successful as a deterent as they would suggest then the figures would be lower. The true measure is the number of crimes commited. The lower this number the more successful the deterents are. And the comment about imported crime supports the soft touch statement. Criminals will commit crime where they think they can get away with it. If they thought they could get away with it in their own local area they wouldn't bother to travel.
Originally posted by Stevequote:High compared to where? Do you have any figures from other towns to compare with?
Originally posted by Ewoowar
Which is probably why the incident numbers in your post are so high.quote:I think it's a well known fact that much of Hertford's crime is imported, which is one of the reasons why an additional CCTV camera was installed overlooking Hertford East station. I think Sloop has mentioned before that most people appearing at the Magistarates Court have addresses outside the town.
Originally posted by Ewoowar
What would be useful is if we could take each of the totals you have posted aqnd establish where the perpetrators came from? What percentage actually live in Hertford?
Reply ID 43030
You can't use the terms higher and lower without a reference point. Who's to say the figures are high? And arguably, it's Hertford's affluence and transport links that are as much responsible for imported crime. And, of course, that's just the premeditated crime like purse-snatching and shoplifting. Much of the "weekend" imported crime comes from the pub tourists who are drawn by the town's reputation as a nightspot, not because they came for a ruck or to indulge their hobby of window-smashing.
Reply ID 43032
quote:Re. 'Lower'; I used the word 'lower' to point out that if the Mercury quotes implication that the numbers demonstrate the success of the cameras then the real measure of the success of the cameras would be lower incident rates. 'Lower' as in 'lower' than the numbers they quoted. The reference points are numbers they quoted. Nothing else. Re. ' Higher'; I have just checked this thread. The only instance of the word 'higher' is in your own post. I haven't used it. Let's return to topic.
Originally posted by Steve
You can't use the terms higher and lower without a reference point. Who's to say the figures are high?
Reply ID 43040
If the CCTVs working, could somebody prove to me that its a) a deterrent so that less crime is being committed because the risk of being caught is very high.. and b) that when/if the criminals are aprehended they get a sentance which doesn't make them laugh at us!???? Hmmm?????
Reply ID 43042
Drama Queen - the essence of your post came up at a recent Pubwatch meeting. You cannot change the system - the police catch the villains and its up to the courts to decide the punishment. We all know what we'd like to do. Hertford is seen as a model for other towns. As Ewoowar says it is the perception that is the worrying thing. Where would you rather shop - Hertford or somewhere else that i won't mention because it's completely non-PC. Why does everyone want to come to Hertford to live. Why are shop rents so high; why are there so few empty shops without bids attached? If this town was the crime capital of the western world it would not look so attractive as it does. Is there a comparable town in the UK that has a lower or higher rate of crime; a lower or higher rate of detection; a lower or higher perception of crime committed. Would anyone want to live anywhere else? So many questions, so many answers, time for a pint.
Reply ID 43060
quote:Too true - but don't leave it unattended! [}:)]
Originally posted by sloopjohnb So many questions, so many answers, time for a pint.
Reply ID 43065
Its not the question of "why we live/work" here, the point is I don't see Police on the streets, the Police in UK are leaving forces in droves cos they are fed up being stuck behind a desk and I cannot understand why I never ever see them on my streets! Change the law, get them visible doing the job they signed up to do.. and not get let down by the Magistrates! PS I too work at the moment in a place where I know about Crime and stuff.. no not the cop shop so without blowing my cover i do see it from two angles! Just hope the bar steward is given a lot of punishment or deported if that's appropriate too!