Fleur Anderson MP holds crime prevention meeting with local police in response to rising car thefts in Putney

Fleur Anderson MP for Putney this week held a public meeting on crime prevention, bringing together Neighbourhoods Inspector for the Borough, Inspector Jonathan Lloyd, and residents to share concerns and strategies to tackle crime.  

The meeting was well attended by over 40 local people, who raised issues ranging from a lack of officers on the streets to a concerning rise in car thefts.  

Fleur Anderson MP said:  

“I organised this meeting after hearing from local police officers, as well as residents, that they had seen a concerning rise in reports of vehicle thefts in Putney. This meeting was a chance for local people to let police officers know of their concerns and to identify measures that can implemented on the ground and work together to keep each other safe. Important crime prevention advice was shared, and I’d encourage all residents to do everything possible to ensure they aren’t the victims of crimes. Whilst it’s important that we crack down on perpetrators, there are lots of things people can do to minimise their chances of falling victim to crime.” 

63% of vehicle thefts happen outside of houses, and thieves can boost the signal of keyless cars. Make sure you keep your keys as far away from the vehicle as possible, out of the sight of windows, and consider using something such as a Faraday bag to block signals from your key to your car, including when out shopping.  

Gear locks and steering wheel locks are a deterrent and using a bike cover and locking the rear wheel onto an immovable object is best practice with motorbikes and mopeds.  

As well as theft of motor vehicles and motorbikes there has also been vandalism of vehicles and windows being smashed, usually the rear windows. Residents are advised to lower boot shelves and not keep anything in the car.   

Fleur Anderson MP continued:  

“I’d like to thank local officers for taking the time to come and the hard work they do on behalf of residents. They shared some extremely helpful crime prevention advice which I have shared on my website, and I’d encourage all residents to follow their local neighbourhood team on social media and attend their local neighbourhood police ward meeting. You can find further information on this from my website. I am delighted that Sadiq Khan has announced that 500 more Police Community Support Officers will be recruited across the MET. 20 of these should come to Wandsworth, which I have been calling for, and I will continue to fight in Westminster for more police to be put on our streets by the Government. I also want to see more work done on recruitment and retainment. We need a diverse police force that reflects our communities, who understand and stay in our areas and want to remain in the jobs for many years to serve our communities.  “ 

Local police shared that it may be advisable to install a tracker in your vehicle, as thieves will sometimes initially only move a car a few streets, to see if a tracker is installed.  

Steering locks on bikes are easily overcome, so it’s a good idea to carefully lock your bike up somewhere highly visible to the public, so thieves would be conspicuous if they tried to take it.  

Dates for ward local police meetings are as follows – please check https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/met/wandsworth/ for all events.  

Thamesfield – 11/05/2023 held at Putney Pantry, Putney High Street  

Roehampton – 12/05/23 held at Roehampton Library, Danebury Ave.  

West Putney – 11/05/2023 held at Granard Primary School, Cortis Road.  

East Putney – 07/06/23 Putney High School  

Southfields – 22/04/23 St Barnabas Church  

Wandsworth Town – 25/05/23 Baptiste Church East Hill  

West Hill – 09/06/23 Our Lady & St Peter RC Church  

If you would like any further details regarding timings or wanting to attend, you need to contact the local Police team. Please see their details below: 
  

Thamesfield 0208 785 8874 Thamesfield@met.police.uk   

East Putney 0208 785 8874 EastPutney@met.police.uk   

Roehampton 0208 785 8874 Roehampton@met.police.uk  

Southfields 0208 785 8874 Southfields@met.police.uk   

West Hill 0208 785 8874 WestHill@met.police.uk   

West Putney 0208 785 8874 WestPutney@met.police.uk   

Wandsworth Town 0208 785 8874 WandsworthTown@met.police.uk