Wem hit by ‘dreadful’ spate of crime

Sergeant Claire Greenaway, from West Mercia Police, told Wem Town Council it had been a tough few months due to an increase in thefts.

Councillors were told that stop checks and increased police patrols were carried out in the town following the spike in crime, and a new online community watch group was set up by residents.

Speaking at a meeting of the council, Sergeant Greenaway commended the public for their help during investigations but said social media had hampered their efforts.

She said: "We have had a dreadful six months or so. There have been a number of thefts from unlocked vehicles and sheds and garage break-ins. There were also sporadic burglaries of outbuildings.

"We had to work exceptionally hard to get the individuals involved.

"We have spoken to the owners of the cars which were broken into and warned them about leaving valuables on show etc.

"I think we were complacent in Wem because we never had any problems until now.

"It was a bolt out of the blue.

"I was disappointed with the social media interactions. Many crimes were reported on Facebook and not to us.

"We had to go door knocking and tell people 'We believe you have been a victim of crime, can we talk to you?'.

"This meant there were CCTV opportunities missed and because of delays, witnesses were lost or didn't want to speak.

"Facebook damaged our inquiries. It has been a big issue over the last few months.

"At one time we locked up an individual four times in one week."

Sergeant Greenaway said the thieves responsible for the crimes have now been caught and dealt with at the courts.

She added: "A total of 60 per cent of the crimes were down to one individual.

"It has been a long task and taken up many policing hours but things have quietened down now."

Councillors were told that Sergeant Greenaway and her team were still carrying out traffic patrols and they have also carried out three key drugs warrants recently.

She added: "We managed to get the warrants due to amazing help from the community.

"People have seen and reported crimes and given us everything we needed for a warrant.

"I would encourage residents to keep doing this so we can catch the perpetrators quickly."