There has been a spate of overnight vehicle crime in Wellington.
Neighbourhood Sergeant Jon O’Connor provided details to town councillors last night in his monthly report.
Here it is in full …
We received a total of 350 calls this month and of these calls 82 crimes were recorded which are broken down into offence groups below.
For ease of comparison, I’ve included the same period last year:
We’ve seen yet another rise in calls for service against the same month last year – this time a further 61 calls which equates to an increase of 21%.
That said, recorded crime has only risen by an additional seven reports so again non-criminal matters account for the bulk of this extra call demand.
The most significant update this month was a spate of overnight vehicle crime, comprising the theft of motorbikes and thefts of number plates from cars.
My team has collated evidence in relation to these matters where it is suspected that offenders had been coming across from Taunton to commit these offences.
Some of the motorbikes and other outstanding property has been recovered and two juvenile suspects have been arrested and charged with several offences.
Further offences forming part of the wider series remain under investigation with ongoing enquiries.
The juveniles were remanded into police custody for court but have since been released on court bail with conditions not to associate with each other and overnight curfews pending their next court date.
Other crime types that don’t always feature in the monthly numbers are three drug offences and one count of possession of a weapon.
These are crimes that directly reflect proactive police action as they are only detected and recorded when items are found within a person’s possession following a search or other encounter with officers.
As much as it may seem alarming to have a weapons crime recorded, it demonstrates how rare these offences are within Wellington and, when we receive information regarding potential possession of a knife, we are quick to respond robustly to minimise the threat and risk posed to the wider community.
Following the discussions around street drinking at last month’s full council meeting, we have continued to conduct early morning sweeps of the town centre to move individuals on and challenge their presence before they have an opportunity to behave anti-socially.
I note the removal of both benches which has provided immediate respite for the businesses most closely affected, although we are still targeting individuals who have been displaced and chosen to frequent other locations.
Last weekend I had the privilege of running the policing operation for Wellington Carnival.
This is always a showcase event for the town and a chance for the team to engage with members of the community who we might not ordinarily see in the course of our duties.
We were forced to make an arrest for assault very early in the evening prior to the procession even starting.
The incident was swiftly resolved and the other involved parties were suitably dispersed to prevent further incident and allow others to enjoy the carnival peacefully and safely.
Carnival day was also the official opening of the Pump Track where we had a presence at the event offering bike marking and security advice.
Looking forward into October, we are already making patrol plans for Halloween weekend as well as ensuring there is police coverage for the Garden of Light event in Wellington Park on Saturday 24th.
If anyone has any questions or enquiries they wish to make with the team, the enquiry office at Wellington Police Station is open from 10am – 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
We can be contacted via the Avon & Somerset Police website or by calling 101.
Alternatively, feel free to stop any one of us while we’re out on patrol and we’ll always be happy to speak with you.
Jon O’Connor – Neighbourhood Sergeant for Wellington