As stated several weeks ago, the run up to Christmas traditionally leads to an upturn in burglaries and theft related offences. This can be said for almost all varieties of crime, with the increase in financial demands and alcohol intake leading people to act in ways they later regret.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer a gentle reminder to residents and visitors of West Lancashire to remain sensible and vigilant over the festive period. We have already started our annual drink-drive campaign to help keep our roads as safe as possible.

Whether you are on your Christmas do or visiting family, we urge you not to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. The risk you would pose to others and to yourself cannot be understated.

Having seen first-hand the devastation drink-driving can have on lives, I really want to press to you the importance of not taking that risk. You can lose much more than your licence; it really isn’t worth it. Officers have been tasked to stop any vehicles they believe may have a dangerous driver on board. On a personal level, when dealing with drink-drivers in the past, many have said things to me like ‘why don’t you catch real criminals?’ If you are drunk behind the wheel, regardless of previous good character, you are one of the biggest risks to your neighbours imaginable. The police will have zero tolerance in this regard.

I would also like to remind residents to remain vigilant with their property. November saw a large spike in burglaries in the division with cars the obvious target. Down here at West Lancashire we have reacted accordingly by implementing Operation Shiva. This operation involved utilizing extra officers and vehicles in the area targeting as many people as we could. We have linked in with neighbouring forces and built a good picture of what is going on around us. Since its inception several weeks ago the picture has improved greatly with no further motor vehicles being stolen on our patch.

Unfortunately last night two more vehicles were stolen from Newburgh which shows that the offenders continue to target our properties. Again I assure you extra patrols continue to be brought in and we will continue to work at protecting our boundaries. As with the last update, please protect your property and report any suspicious vehicles/persons immediately. Do not feel as though you are bothering us, if something doesn’t look right, we would rather know about it.

In terms of a more general update we have had various reports of public order and anti-social behaviour in Tarleton. This has resulted in officers being tasked to the area to ensure safety and reduce these issues. Again please report any incidents to us on 101 or 999 in cases of emergency.

Officers also continue to work on the daily business and are responding to demand as it arises.

In the lead up to Christmas we will continue to update you where possible. Please keep safe and look out for each other.

Thank you for your time, Sergeant 4073 Paul Price.