A NEW Year drive to reduce the number of robberies across Oxfordshire is kicking off with a series of adverts designed to help young people avoid becoming easy targets for robbers.
Bus shelters, free-standing advertising sites and BT phone boxes across Thames Valley are brandishing the adverts which form part of the Force?s Safer Streets campaign ? a six month crackdown on violent crime.
The adverts feature a young man out at night on his own using his mobile phone, with the slogan: ?He?s on his own?and on his phone. He?s a robber?s target?.
The advert forms part of the Operation Robbery strand of Safer Streets. This part of the campaign is particularly targeting young people as 10-16 year-olds and 17-25 year-olds are the age groups most targeted by robbers. Mobile phones and cash are the items most commonly stolen.
One of the main aims of this part of the campaign is to remind young people that there are several simple steps they can take to help prevent them becoming a robbery victim.
Det Insp Rebecca mears head of the Oxford Police Priority Crime Teams, said: ?Most robberies are not planned, but carried out by offenders who see a chance and take it – they are looking for an easy strike.
?One of the messages we are trying to get across is that by taking a few very straight-forward steps young people can greatly reduce their chances of becoming a target.
?Most of it is common sense, such as keeping your mobile and wallet out of sight when you?re out and about, taking extra care when you get money out of the cash point, and staying with mates rather than going off on your own. This will all help make you less of an easy target.
?In Oxford we are detecting more robberies compared with last year and we will keep the pressure on the criminals.?
More tips on how to stay safe can be found at www.thamesvalley.police.uk/saferstreets
Operation Robbery is a renewal of the campaign that targeted street robbers in 2002, and although personal robberies are continuing to drop across the Force. Between April and December 2005 robberies had reduced by 10 per cent compared with the same period the previous year Thames Valley Police is determined to keep the pressure on persistent offenders to ensure this trend continues. Information from crime reports and intelligence will be used to direct officer activity on a daily basis.
Police are also encouraging people to log the details of their phone on the Mobile Equipment National Database (MEND) so if it is lost or stolen it may be returned to you.
Find out more about the Safer Streets campaign by logging onto www.thamevalley.police.uk/saferstreets
Photo Copyright of Thames Valley Police
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