‘Reports of scamming have led us to offer help’
Top cop gives update on what matters to you
I don’t know about you but January has just disappeared and I have no idea where it’s gone.
I have been in post for four months and the time has flown by but as I said at the New Year, it is time to look ahead and plan for the future.
I have plans in place for the forthcoming months that will address the concerns you have told us about.
Violence in our community, housebreakings and drugs all feature in what you tell us you want the police to address. As usual we have been extremely busy.
The festive drink/drug driving campaign has come and gone and there are some interesting results.
My officers conducted 190 impairment tests and as a result 11 persons were charged with driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
You may have seen the coverage recently of officers from Lanarkshire being trained in and provided with new mobile devices.
These devices allow officers to complete a number of tasks and update police systems while they are out and about.
Officers from East Kilbride have been extremely positive about them and are delighted that they can carry out their work more efficiently and effectively, spending more time on the streets and being more visible.
In the last month we have had reports of people being ‘scammed’ by criminals who are extremely plausible and persuade them to part with large sums of money.
This can be on the telephone or on the Internet.
We are all vulnerable and have to be on our guard against this.
Never provide financial or personal details to a caller; a bank or payment card company will never ask you to transfer money from your account to another that you do not recognise, nor will they request your PIN.
As for keeping safe online, Police Scotland will be supporting a range of Internet Safety events over the coming weeks.
The UK Safer Internet Centre will be launching Safer Internet Day 2020 on February 11 which will focus on whether young people feel free to be themselves online.
It will explore how they manage their online identity, and how the internet shapes how they think of themselves and others.
The following week Police Scotland and partners, including Scottish Government will be supporting a range of events relating to Cyber Scotland Week 2020, starting Monday, February 17.
This will focus on increasing the online safety awareness of individuals and organisations across Scotland.
More information can be found at the UK Safer Internet Centre:
https://www.saferinternet. org.uk
Information on events and free resources can be accessed from the Cyber Scotland Week web-site:
https://cyberscotlandweek. scot/
For further advice and guidance on ways to keep yourself, your family and colleagues safe online, Police Scotland and the National Cyber Security Centre have published advice at the following sites:
Police Scotland - https:// www.scotland.police.uk/keepsafe/keep-secure-online/
NCSC - https://www.ncsc. gov.uk/section/informationfor/individuals-families
A dedicated team of officers continue to work hard to identify those responsible for a spate of high-value van thefts in the area.
Van owners in the East Kilbride and Strathaven communities are suffering at the hands of crooks working under cover of darkness and a large number of vans have been stolen since the start of the year.
My officers are aware and focused patrols are being carried out. We are following a number of leads including taking forensic opportunities wherever possibleWe will also continue to produce dedicated social media postings to raise awareness, but I would encourage all vehicle owners to check locks, remove any valuable from within and consider tracking equipment.
Whilst we are working hard to find the culprits, I would appeal to any local with information about any van theft – or any crime – to get in touch.
Information can be left with my officers by calling 101, or anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.