I have been concerned about the spate of thefts of tools from vans in Royston for some time. These are particularly despicable offences, as they deprive tradesmen of their means of earning a living. Equally, they are particularly difficult crimes to detect. I have taken up this issue with our Chief Inspector Julie Wheatley and our councillors are also very concerned, particularly Sarah Dingley and Fiona Hill. Sarah, Fiona and I met with Sergeant Jon Vine in Royston recently to talk this through.
The police are continuing to investigate what has been happening and are able to use all resources including Automatic Police Numberplate Recognition and cameras, as well as pursuing other conventional police techniques. The Town Council has been incentivising the marking of tools so they can be identified, a prevention measure designed to put off thieves. We also discussed encouraging the use of tool safes and how this might be made more manageable financially for tradesmen.
I have emphasised to Herts Police that I see this as the Number One police priority in Royston right now.