Dear Watch Member,
Many of you will have children or grandchildren returning to school this week, some of whom may be starting secondary school and using public transport to commute there and back.
Unfortunately, the start of a new school term can see an increase in robbery offences. There are, however, some things you can do to help reduce school-age family members’ risk of becoming a robbery victim and keep safe whilst using their phone. If you can, talk to them about where and how they use their phone using the following advice:
Safety when out and about:
- Keep your phone and valuables out of sight in a safe place when travelling to and from school. Be careful when you take your phone out.
- Bus stops, train stations and surrounding areas are common target areas for thieves, who can approach on foot, moped or on a pedal bike or e-scooter.
- Earphones can distract you, stopping you from seeing or hearing someone approach you from behind.
- Don’t confront a thief – it’s not worth risking your own safety for possessions that can be replaced.
- Robbery or attempted robbery are serious crimes and should be reported. It’s important you seek help straight away by dialing 999 rather than contacting police when you get home. Use a friend’s phone or the phone of a trusted adult. This gives us the best chance to catch the suspects, recover any stolen property and ensure your safety.
- If you have information about a robbery and do not want to report it to police, speak to Fearless 100% anonymously at www.fearless.org. Fearless is the youth service of independent charity Crimestoppers.
- Whether you have a phone or not, memorise or keep a parent/carer’s phone number in a separate place in your bag/zipped pocket in case of emergency.
For more information go to www.fearless.org/campaigns/robbery.
If you need to reply regarding this message, tap on this email address: [email protected]
Regards,
Lee O’Brien
Pinner Safer Neighbourhood Team
Email: [email protected]