Make it hard for thieves at Christmas

First and foremost, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Billy Sloan and I am the new sergeant for the Local Problem Solving Team in the Hamilton and Blantyre area.

I have recently taken over from Sgt Bob Chalmers, who retired earlier this week after 30 years of police service.

I have completed 17 years of police service and have a diverse range of policing experience.

My entire service has been on the front line of policing, however I have carried out numerous roles ranging from a community police officer to an armed response vehicle officer.

I have spent most of my career serving communities in Lanarkshire, however have also spent periods of time in Glasgow and the Western Isles.

I feel this diverse experience has given me a unique skillset that will help me understand and address the concerns of communities in the Hamilton and Blantyre area.

As Christmas approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight to readers that home security is paramount. Many of you will have expensive Christmas presents clearly visible in your homes which are attractive to an opportunistic thief.

It is important to keep doors locked whenever possible and to also store presents in a discreet manner. If there is no obvious opportunity for a thief to strike then, they will most likely move on from your home.

It is also worth pointing out that whilst shopping for the festive period, items of value should be stored discreetly within vehicles.

On the subject of thefts, between 4pm on December 16 and 7am the next day, a Peugeot 3008 car parked on Laburnum Lea, Hamilton, had a Tomtom sat-nav stolen from within. Should anyone have information regarding this, please contact Police on 101, quoting Incident number 0592 of December 17.

A similar incident took place at 11.40pm on December 16 at Wellbank Place, Uddingston. Several items were stolen from within a Silver Audi A4. These included a gold watch with a brown strap, a blue ‘Rab’ jacket, a black leather jacket, a pair of white Nike trainers and a hand drill. Should anyone have information regarding this, please contact Hamilton Police Office on 101 quoting incident number 0592 of December 17.

About midnight on December 12 at Watson Street, Blantyre, power tools were stolen from a white VW Transporter van. Should anyone have information regarding this, contact Police on 101, quoting incident number 0699 of December 12. You can pass information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Over the past week there have been several persons arrested for minor and serious drugs offences and also a number of persons arrested for serious acts of violence.

My team will continue to focus on the crimes above which cause great concern to the communities we serve.