COME ALONG TO THE SHOP THAT COULD SAVE YOU HUNDREDS OF POUNDS THIS CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, 7th December 2010

Shoppers at The Mall, Bristol are set for a festive surprise this Christmas when police officers and PCSOs transform a shop unit into a crime prevention emporium complete with its own crime scene.

The shop, located on the ground floor, have opened its doors on Monday, December 6, and is packed full of experts, exhibits, and information designed to ensure a safer Christmas for all.

Two huge window displays have been put to good use, one themed around bike security and the other containing a crime scene for members of the public to investigate.

Experts from Bike UK, the Safer Bristol Partnership and the police are on hand to advise members of the public on all safety issues, from bike locks and seasonal burglary to late night transport options and drink and drug awareness.

The shop is the idea of PCSO Warren Vincent-Rodgers from the Broadmead and Cabot Circus police team. He said, “We trialled the shop in The Mall last year with great success, speaking to more than 1,000 Bristol residents about all sorts of security and safety issues.

“This year, we are hoping to attract even more people to the shop and have enlisted fantastic support to help make this happen.

“You can’t really have a more striking window display than a crime scene, and with so many TV programmes getting children and adults interested in this area of work, it’s a fantastic opportunity to come along and see at first hand the techniques CSIs use to find clues and help solve cases.

“Everyone is invited to note down their theory of what happened and will be entered into a prize draw. It should make a welcome distraction from Christmas shopping!

“We’re only able to make this happen thanks to the support of the City Centre Retail management team and The Mall Bristol management team, who both share our desire to help make hundreds of people’s Christmases safer.”

Colin Lang from The Mall, Bristol said, “Following last year’s success we were delighted to welcome Avon and Somerset Constabulary back to The Mall. We received extremely positive feedback from our shoppers who appreciated the opportunity to find out more about safety and security for their personal belongings especially at this festive time.”

As well as the chance to win a Saracen mountain bike, other attractions aimed to amuse the children include free T-Shirt printing with the police’s Streetwise team after school on December 9 and 16, and balloons to fingerprint and take home, which will be available each day.

Jo Hawkins, City Centre Retail Manager, said, “It is great that the police have seized the opportunity once again to engage with the public in such a positive way during our busiest trading period. We’re grateful to The Mall, Bristol for providing the venue and we are confident that the police will be able to interact with even more of our customers this year.”

While in the shop, police will be urging shoppers to register presents like laptops, cameras, mobile phones and bikes on the national property database, Immobilise.

The database is used by police to trace the owners of suspected stolen property. If the items are ever stolen the account holder logs on and marks them as stolen. They will then be flagged up on the national database as stolen when checked by retailers or police forces.

PCSO Vincent-Rodgers said, “It takes literally minutes to do but could end up saving you hundreds of pounds. Sadly, Christmas can be far from the season of goodwill, and piles of presents under Christmas trees and shopping bags on the back seats of cars are irresistible to thieves. We’re asking people to do their bit to protect their presents.”

As well as popping into the shop, people can log on to Immobilise from home, www.immobilise.com

Shop opening hours are Monday to Friday, 10am – 5pm, Thursdays 10am – 7pm, and Saturdays 10am – 3pm.

Media call
Media are invited to go along to the shop at 2pm on Monday, December 6. PSCO Warren Vincent-Rodgers and city centre Inspector Keith Rundle will be available for interview. Bike UK will also be on site advising visitors on bike security and Crime Scene Investigators will be manning the display and helping the public decipher what may have happened.

To attend, please contact Liz Drury in the press office on 07787 196196.