| Officers from Lochee police station want to deter opportunist crimes and make shoppers feel safer amid the hustle and bustle of the busiest time of the year for retailers.
inspector Stuart Anderson said, “There will be a high visibility police presence in the Lochee High Street area and Kingsway Retail Park in the run-up to Christmas and into the New Year.
“Officers will be there to provide further reassurance and will be distributing crime prevention advice and information.”
The two retail centres were added this year to Dundee Co-ordinated Anti-Crime Network (DUNCAN), a scheme backed by the Scottish Executive.
Central to DUNCAN is the sharing of information — members receive intelligence and photographs of criminals whose activities affect their trading environment — and exclusion notices.
The notices are then used to prevent a person committing crime in a certain shop, and will be served following deliberation by a steering committee.
So far the intelligence database has logged hundreds of incidents, providing stores with information about active criminals they should be on the lookout for.
However, it is not only retail criminals who are being targeted in the Lochee police area, which covers housing estates in the west end of the city. Officers will also be on the look-out for would-be housebreakers — and have a surprise delivery for people who make their homes an easy target.
Said Inspector Anderson, “Any houses we see in darkness will receive an advice card from police officers.
“Remember, if we see your home in darkness, a thief could see it too. Leave a light on.” |
