WARNING :New scam by thieves in Wapping

There’s a new scam in St Katharine and Wapping. Police have confirmed several incidents where an individual has talked his way into a building and then disappeared with parcels left in the reception/lobby area.  It is a good idea to remind residents in your building:  

• Don’t let anybody into the building unless they are delivering to you and you are expecting a delivery. 

• If it is for another resident and you want to be neighbourly, go to the entrance to take delivery yourself. 

• Suggest to your building committee they get any porter/concierge to make sure packages are kept out of sight.  

Bike thefts remain a problem in our area. Police figures from the third quarter of last year showed St Katharine and Wapping was the fifth worse area for bike thefts out of the 20 wards in Tower Hamlets.  Often, bikes are being stolen from inside the garage of buildings. Please remind your neighbours:  

• When you are entering or leaving your garage, make sure the gate has closed before you carry on. Tailgating is a common way of thieves to slip in behind a car. 

• Use a good quality lock to secure your bike to a fixed point inside the garage. 

• Some thieves are going equipped with battery angle-grinders, which make quick work of inferior locks. 

• Make sure you make a note of the frame number of your bike. That way you might be reunited with your bike if it is recovered by police. From time-to-time, the police also run sessions to mark bikes with Smart Water identifiers that also boost the chance of you getting your bike back. 

• Even if you have little hope of getting your possessions back, it is important to report all thefts to the police. The number of incidents reported in Wapping  determine the level of resources the police deploy in our area. 

• If you see a crime being committed, call 999. Otherwise report thefts to phone number 101 or via the Met website:

https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/