Local Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton, joined East Staffordshire Borough Councillor representing Uttoxeter Town Ward, George Allen, to meet with Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams, amidst the recent heightened levels of crime in Uttoxeter.
The local MP and Councillor raised concerns on behalf of their residents with the Commissioner, following a spate of burglaries and attempted thefts in Uttoxeter, footage of which has been seen on social media in recent days.
In response, the Commissioner gave reassurances that he had already met with the East Staffordshire Police Commander to discuss the situation and to confirm that police activity in the area had been stepped up.
The Commissioner went onto highlight that across the country vehicle crime had risen over the past 12 months as the cost of cars and car parts had risen. Organised criminals have since been targeting cars and attempting to access properties to steal car keys. As a result, Staffordshire Police have introduced a dedicated car theft response team, something they have been able to achieve with the Government’s Police Uplift Programme, and they have already made over 150 arrests in relation to this particular crime.
Furthermore, across the County, the Commissioner has signed off £500,000 worth of investment to increase the number of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) in prominent places.
Any suspicious activity or incidents should be reported to Staffordshire Police on 101 or using the Live Chat on the constabulary’s website. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP said:
“The thefts and footage we have seen on social media of attempted break-ins, are very concerning.
“I am grateful that Commissioner Ben Adams was able to visit Uttoxeter and I am pleased to hear that our local police presence is being bolstered, in part thanks to the over 350 extra police officers recruited in our county by the Government.
“Increased visibility is a priority for all of us going forward and myself and Cllr Allen will continue to feed residents’ concerns to our local policing team here in East Staffordshire.”
Councillor George Allen added:
"I was very pleased to invite Mr Adams and our MP to some of the areas affected by the recent and very serious incidents and I'm pleased Staffordshire Police are actively pursuing the matter.
“As the Commissioner said, it is really important residents do not take matters into their own hands but instead report all suspicious activity to the Police directly.”
