AUGUST has been a hot and busy end to the summer for the team and we are a welcoming the cooler weather coming soon!
Over the month of August, we have received for the whole of Melksham, 155 crime reports including 58 offences against the person. This will include malicious communications and assaults within this category. 36 thefts were reported, 20 reports of criminal damage and 11 public order offences.
We have also had our third successful drugs warrant within the last three months in Melksham with a quantity of drugs seized. The investigation continues.
In the middle of August, we carried out a day of action on local roads. One ticket was issued to a driver doing 43mph in a 30mph zone in Bowerhill. Be mindful that when you come off the A350 into the estate, you are dropping down to 30mph! No other motorists exceeded beyond what we give words of advice to.
The team completed an operation in the middle of the month in Melksham town for immigration offences. Two properties were targeted with one property closed to business until Immigration were satisfied with the employee’s status. We are pleased to report all was in order in the other premises and no further action was taken.
As well as tackling crime and completing warrants, summer is also the time of fetes and festivals. We had the best of weekends at the Melksham Food and River Festival. It was a pleasure to meet so many people face-to-face, chat about local issues and put faces to names.
This month we will be planning our approach to some key dates that are fast approaching – Halloween, Fireworks, Christmas and New Year. These dates fill our calendars with operation planning such as rural crime engagement week and Op Sceptre (knife crime). We will also be adding local drop-in surgeries to our calendars, with the aim to help keep you educated and safe from crime and anti-social behaviour. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to see where our future drop-in sessions will be.
Sergeant Gemma Rutter
