Be sensible and fight crime this Christmas

I am so ashamed that I let Granny Robyn leave her Christmas shopping in the boot of my 'batmobile'. Being a crime-fighting superhero, I should have known that it really wasn’t best practice in the crime prevention world.

To be honest, it’s taken me a couple of days to get back to my usual self. But once I emerged from wallowing in my self-pity, I realised that I’m not the only one who gets distracted at Christmas-time. Of course, I should have known better, being in the business that I am. But let’s face it, how many of us haven’t made a schoolboy error, leaving us vulnerable to crime, at some stage in our lives?

They say that crime rises over Christmas and New Year and I must say that I’ve seen you lot let your guard down in recent days as Christmas gets nearer. What you should do is read the crime prevention advice available on the charity Crimestoppers’ website. There’s advice specific to the problems that arise at Christmas, home security advice and BBC’s ‘Beat the Burglar’ Michael Fraser even lets you into the mind of a would-be thief.

For those of you who love blogging and social networking like me, don’t post messages online saying that you are not at home. Otherwise you are advertising to burglars the best time to strike.

Take heed my fellow crime-fighters – be sensible and you’ll be fine this Christmas.

Foreign criminals hiding in the UK - don't let them get away with it

Hombres! This is a big crime-fighting week for me. Since I heard on Monday that there are ten foreign wanted criminals hiding out in the UK – I have not dropped my cloak or mask, dedicated as I am to catching los delicuentes. But I just had to take five minutes out of my busy superhero schedule to blog to ask you all to help me. This is serious hombres!

These wanted men include Neculai Margineau, who allegedly punched and kicked a farmer to death in Romania. He has links to Mitcham and Enfield. Then there are Polish brothers Wojciech and Dariusz Glowacki. They are accused of three rapes and have links to Acton, west London, and Slough. Gintautas Rupslaukis is a Lithuanian man accused of being involved in a kidnapping and torture case. He may be in the Greater Manchester area. You can read more about and see photos of all the wanted men on Crimestoppers’ website.

These men should not be allowed to escape justice, mi amigos. Please – visit the charity Crimestoppers’ website right now to see if you can help. Sometimes the smallest details can lead to the arrest of a criminal. If you know anything, make sure you call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or fill out the secure online form on their website.

Buena suerte my friends – good luck!

Beware of the pesky festive burglars

I don’t know about you lot, but I finished my Christmas shopping weeks ago and have it all hidden safely in my colleague’s Batmobile – an excellent hiding spot I’m sure you’d agree.

I was just about to make a start on my wrapping when I read that the charity Crimestoppers has launched a new campaign, warning those of us in fine festive fettle not to get too carried away. Apparently, domestic burglary tends to rise during the Christmas and New Year period.

I could not believe that those pesky burglars would go peeping through my windows to see if I had any Christmas presents sitting underneath my tree! Imagine the looks on the faces of my rosy cheeked children and grandchildren if they were to miss out on receiving their trusty annual presents of superhero memorabilia this year? (Yes that’s right - I pride myself on being a hip granny who gives more to my offspring than lavender soap).

I for one won’t be a victim of any burglar.

As well as donning my superhero costume, I shall be following the advice on Crimestoppers’ website. According to the charity, it’s best to either put presents under the tree early on Christmas morning or keep the tree out of view from the window. I’m telling you, as soon as I’ve finished this blog, I’ll be moving the Christmas tree myself. I shall also keep all my other valuables out of sight from the windows.

You can also tell Crimestoppers if you know someone who’s committing burglary. Just call them anonymously on 0800 555 111 or fill out the secure online form on their website.

After exploring Crimestoppers’ website even further, I also discovered that one should never leave Christmas gifts in the boot of their car while out shopping. Caped Crimestopper – you’d better bring my gifts over in a jiffy!

When crime gets meaty

I read a story in today's paper about a woman in America who is facing domestic abuse charges for hitting her terminally ill partner with a piece of raw steak. The fight was reportedly sparked when Peter Schabhuttl said he would prefer to have a bread roll than a slice of bread with his dinner.

Once you get over the bizarreness of this story (it's not everyday you hear of someone being beaten with a steak), it serves as a reminder about domestic violence, especially over the festive season. Elsie Egan claimed that she hit her disabled partner several times with the meat to "teach him a lesson." When one person in a relationship is abusive to the other, be it a man or a woman, it is always wrong.

Domestic violence rises over the holiday season. Most families fight from time to time, but to include violence in rows is always wrong. Crimestoppers can take information from third parties about those who are violent towards their families. You can read more about this on the Crimestoppers website.

Wanted woman hands herself in

I've got some great news for all of you who read my last post with interest. The woman wanted in connection with the assault on the bus driver has handed herself in following the appeal for information being made.

This is a truly excellent result. Thank you to everyone who passed on information about the appeal to their friends and family. You have all contributed to making our streets safer.

Happy crime-fighting

Lady with pram attacks bus driver - £10k reward for information

On the whole I think of myself as being quite a calm and level-headed person. That said, there are some things that really make my blood boil. One of these is violence.

Crimestoppers and the bus company, Arriva, have put up a £10,000 reward for information on a serious assault. A lady with a pram attacked a bus driver in north London. The bus driver was pulled from the bus by her hair and had her arm broken and her shoulder dislocated during the incident, which occurred on 31 October 2008 in Haringey.

To launch an unprovoked attack like this on another is despicable, let alone in front of a child.

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of the woman responsible for the assault will qualify for a £10,000 reward. Information must be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to be eligible. All calls are anonymous and no personal details of the caller will be taken.

If you know anything about this horrific assault, please get in contact with Crimestoppers today.

Italian police crash prized Lamborghini Gallardo

Like us Spaniards, the Italians are considered to be a stylish race. Their police force is no exception - since 2005 they have been using Lamborghinis to chase speeding criminals. I bet the officers driving those must love their job. That is, unless you're the officer who crashed one of two Gallardo super cars after being cut up by a motorist who was leaving a petrol station.

Lamborghini donated the two Gallardos to the Italian police last year. The cars' top speed is a whooping 204 mph and they contain special features including a small fridge to transfer human transplant organs. Now the fleet is down to one, although no one was seriously hurt in the accident, the car was, sadly, written off.