Some home-owners returned from work this week to find large sections of their garden fences blown over. The strong winds picked up again last night as many local residents reported

Anlaby Road this morning. Photo: Janice Tilley

This morning the TBC Christmas tree by Teddington Memorial Hospital had been blown over and a large tree was blocking Alnaby Road – police were in attendance to divert traffic.

Some residents have begun leaving their Christmas trees out with their general household waste but should note that this collection scheme doesn’t start until Monday the 9th January – any trees left out now might get blown around until the high winds leave us.

Many train routes across the South West have had delays over the last few days after many trees were blown on the lines – train companies had special teams of workers travelling around with chainsaws to remove these as soon as possible! South West Train’s website incident page now just has a general “Delays in Southern and Western England until further notice” note.

Two trees also were blown onto the train line between Strawberry Hill and Teddington. Trains were forced to reverse back to stations either side of the obstruction until this was cleared leading to delays on the ‘loop’ line.

Photo: HamptonHillTweets

High numbers of bicycle theft are still a concern and residents are urged to have their bikes marked for free at pre-arranged events or by appointment. Police ‘tracker’ bikes have also been used to arrest two bicycle thieves.

Over a thousand bikes have been stolen in the borough this year – an increase in 7% from last year. As well as thefts from sheds etc, thieves try to target high-end light-weight bikes that are sometimes left outside cafes/shops unlocked because owners don’t want to effect their speed by carrying heavy locks.

The Teddington Safer Neighbourhood Team have coordinated a local Drink-Drive campaign – stopping 160 vehicles leading to 3 positive test results, the seizure of 4 vehicles and 2 further arrests.

Shoplifting offences still occur in numbers – mostly at weekends, one prolific shoplifter however who stole from several shops including over £900 of cosmetics from Teddington Boots was arrested and ordered to pay back compensation to the shops affected.

A rise in shop-breakins (particular from rear of premises) to steal cash and other items has been noted. 25 residential and 18 non-residential burglaries have been noted in the ward in the last six months.

Two young females have been carrying out distraction burglaries in the area – particularly in recent weeks in Hampton and Teddington, have finally been arrested whilst attempting to carry out another burglary in Teddington.

Owners of a high street convenience store have been in talks with police about their license and should take notice of police advice – a supermarket in Hampton has recently had its alcohol license revoked after a police sting caught them again selling booze to underage drinkers.

Recent issues have included a mixture of broken down trains, signal failures, problems caused by bad weather and over-running engineering works. On Sunday 4th an incident led to debris on the line near Queenstown Road Battersea stopping all trains between Waterloo and Clapham Junction. On Monday the 5th there were signalling problems at Clapham.

On 6th December signal-related problems at Wimbledon and Vauxhall delayed many trains. Last week also sadly saw massive disruption caused by a death at New Malden station – halting all trains running into London this direction whilst power was shut off to investigate the scene (treated as non-suspicious).

SWT staff try to advise on alternative transport

Today’s particular severe disruption was caused by caused by the theft of over 50m of copper cable overnight near Twickenham station. Network Rail engineers were soon on site to replace the stolen cables to restore signalling equipment and slowly but surely the train service returned to normal throughout the day.

A £1,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information on this cable theft. British Transport Police are investigating the matter and are appealing for witnesses who may have seen any suspicious activity. They also wish to remind any would-be thieves that live cables carry up to 25,000 volts.

Anyone with information can call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The ever-increasing crime of metal-theft costs the UK economy an estimated £770m each year. A consortium of transport companies as well as stepping up patrols via the police, are working together to push the government into new laws to battle metal-theft by tackling the black market for this trade.

Potential changes will include introducing stricter licensing laws for scrap metal dealers, increased powers for the police to close down unscrupulous dealers and tougher sentences for cable thieves in the courts.

[Update 13/12/2011] Several issues affected train journeys today – starting early with severe delays and cancellations caused by signal failure at Waterloo (closing half the platforms). After trains finally returned to normal a broken down train at Wimbledon delayed trains during the evening rush hour and finally in a separate incident delays of half an hour due to signal problems at New Malden.

It was also mentioned via SWT’s Twitter account that monthly and yearly season tickets will have refunds automatically applied when they are next renewed. Details about this new feature will be on their website in the next few days.

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) – Police have been working to decrease the amount of ASB in Grove Gardens and Udney Park Gardens – fewer reports have been received since Police have patrolled these areas to break-up large groups meeting in these areas before nights out.

Although burglary rates are low in Teddington , judging by the latest crime statistic maps they still occur here. Both uniformed and plain-clothed Police patrol areas targeted by burglars to help keep these figures low. Regular Police surgeries are also held to offer advice on how to secure your property and possessions – the next dates are this Wednesday 5th October 2-2:30pm at Costa Coffee and on the 12th at Starbucks (1-1:30pm).

Despite two shoplifters being arrested in Teddington and each being given a two-year suspended sentence, shoplifting still occurs (mostly in Tesco and Boots). The Safer Neighbourhoods team have been working with local shop managers to explain how shoplifters operate and so that staff can be trained how to spot this crime. Business owners are also being encouraged to use the TownLink radio system more.

Also the latest borough update mentions an emerging problem at St Mary’s University College where gadgets had been stolen from students bedrooms and also how bike thefts in Teddington & Hampton Wick are have decreased.

Thieves, working in a pairs and described as young Asians have been gathering PIN details whilstand afterwards stealing the card – all whilst distracting the cashpoint user. This occurred at Halifax cashpoints (near Tesco) and they were also operating at Barclays.

In similar thefts, cashpoint users are sometimes told that they work for the bank and offer help using the ‘broken’ cashpoint (whilst memorising the PIN).

If you witness any similar events or people answering this description in the area, please contact the police.

Starting in central London, trouble hot-spots spread out from the epicentre and copy-cat incidents have affected areas as far south/west as Croydon and Ealing. Police today advised businesses and offices in nearby larger towns to close early today as a precaution (not due to any specific threats of information) – this included Wimbledon, Richmond, Kingston.

In a case of unfortunate timing, barriers had started to be deployed along the route of the Surrey Classic test road race planned for this weekend. Some residents mistakenly thought the barriers were intended for riot crowd control – this is not the case.

The race is still planned for Sunday and organisers believe it will not be affected by this week’s events. As Twickenham was one town where police had advised shops to close early, these barriers were earlier removed as additional precaution.

Teddington seems mostly unaffected today – Fitness First closed at 6pm and some local nurseries were advised by police to ask parents to pick up children early in case of transport issues. Police have advised businesses to secure their premises as much as possible and residents to call them if they suspect any groups are gathering – a few small groups have been stopped before any actions were taken in areas such as Kingston.

Richmond Council released a statement today in response to the situation to say that it was working closely with the police to monitor the disorder and keep contingency plans for the borough.

Cllr Pamela Fleming: “The violence we have seen over the past few days, with innocent people losing their homes and livelihoods is indefensible. There have been no incidents in Richmond upon Thames but we must be vigilant.

I would like to reiterate what the police have already said: Please can parents make sure that they know where their children are, and ensure they are not out at night. Also, I urge residents not to visit the areas that have had disorder to ‘take a look’. Spectators only make the issue more complex for the Police and often get in the way.“

Police from the borough last night were deployed to Wandsworth, Kingston and Croydon as well as remaining in the area to keep residents in Richmond Upon Thames safe. In Teddington extra patrol cars, police and community support officers are very visible with increased patrols and shifts to ensure maximum cover.

Recently there have been many rumours of attempted abductions and sightings of a suspicious character throughout Richmond Borough including Whitton, Twickenham, Teddington and Hounslow – these are circulating via emails, Twitter and Facebook.

The website has been setup that will be updated if any new and relevant factual information becomes available – anyone concerned should look here if they wish to double-check the validity of any warnings they receive. This police website is intended to “reduce the fear on the borough generated by well-intended but factually incorrect communications.”

Police are keen for parents and children to remain vigilant but also to know that there is only one alleged incident currently being investigated. In the Barnes area, an 8-year-old is alleged to have been picked up by an adult male but the boy managed to kick him to stop him. The suspect has not been seen by any other witness other than the victim and no description has been issued by police. The facts are being established but this is the only alleged abduction currently being investigated by Richmond Police – no other allegations have been made.

A separate incident (also being referred to in emails) at Murray Park, Whitton on the 16th of July was investigated and found to be a misunderstanding rather than a related crime.

Any additional witnesses to the Barnes incident can contact D.C. James on 020 8247 7032 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Extra plain-clothed police have been drafted in to patrol the borough as the incidents are being investigated fully. Police are urging women walking in areas particularly near the Thames to be more aware of their surroundings and who is around them.

Another high-street business break-in occurred this time at The Loft via an office window. Local businesses are advised to not leave cash on the premises overnight and have valuable items visible from the outside unless it’s unavoidable. Recent PC and audio-visual equipment has been taken in smash and grab raids from other businesses.

Photo: Peter Denton

Bicycle thefts in the area remain high – particularly in Barnes, Teddington and Hampton areas over the last two weeks. Most are actually stolen from streets whilst locked to street furniture.

The minutes have been released from the latest quarterly Police Liaison Group Meeting – overall crime is down in Teddington from this time last year. Two anti-social behaviour hotspots in Grove Gardens and Udney Hall Gardens have led to increased patrols in the area and more contact with nearby residents.

Shop-lifting continues to occur despite dedicated security in larger stores – during one incident in Tesco a thief threatened the security guard with a knife. Others have occurred in Boots and Marks and Spencers.

Priorities for Teddington Ward were discussed and re-affirmed as being Anti social behaviour, Shoplifting and Burglary. Next meeting will be on the 25th October 2011.

Two women entered the building asking if one could use the WC urgently (feigning distress and pain to heighten the urgency). Whilst they were in the back office and staff at the front were distracted, items were stolen.

As with shoplifting and associated crime, business owners are being asked to keep an eye our for similar circumstances occuring. If any suspicious activity is seen then contact the police as soon as possible. Shop owners do have the right to refuse admission to their premises if they are suspicious of intentions.

Ironically at Wednesday’s business community meeting, the first concern raised by shop owners was that this type of crime happens in the area and how perhaps Teddington suffers because it is an affluent area and also considered a ‘soft target’. Police attending the meeting answered that this type of crime is no stranger to all towns and generally will be on the increase due to the current economic climate.

Constant contact between businesses and local police is key to help prevent or report crimes such as these and help warn others in the area about any patterns occuring.

Photo: Peter Denton

In a crime assessment document released today there is currently a spate of cash-point thefts across Richmond Borough using ‘Lebanese loop‘ devices that retain ATM users cards combined with seemingly helpful onlookers. In another ‘distraction’ type crime, they offer to help with their problem but are actually just looking to watch their PIN being entered by asking them to try it again.

No major problems were reported with busy events at the end of 2010 – Halloween and the switching on the Christmas Lights. Despite the huge crowds at the ‘Lights-Up’ evening, the only issues reported were a bus and car breaking down on the bridge leading to traffic problems.

New Year’s Even on the other hand wasn’t so quiet – a fight broke out at the Teddington Arms which continued on the street leading to car window damage along the high street. A private party in Bolton Gardens was broken up by police following complains when numbers got out of hand due to news of the party spreading.

Generally speaking crime is down by 14% but as with all of London, burglaries still occur in the area – two residential and five non-residential break-ins since the start of the year.

The three priorities for the area remain:

• Anti-Social Behaviour
• Burglaries
• Shoplifting

Shoplifting is a long-standing problem and despite security being in place, Tesco, Marks and Spencers and Boots are the main targets. Marks and Spencers, along with Tesco now have a Security Officer in place and Boots have started to re-use the till to the left of the main doors to help combat this issue.

The ‘Town Link’ radio system seems to be working well and police are keen to make sure all users are properly trained to make this as effective as possible.

Issues raised by the public included dangerous crossing in Park Road due to the Street Van spot, cyclists running red lights, burglaries in Park Road, and windows being scratched on shop windows.

Police numbers in the area will be affected by government cuts but not have any effect for 18 months. Greater publicity for these meetings and public surgeries will be undertaken.