Follow that van

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29 Nov 2011

Police in Cheshire are pledging to “Follow That Van” in the run up to Christmas as part of a regional initiative to ensure the safety of cash delivery crews.

Traditionally the number of attacks on cash delivery vans increases over the Christmas and New Year period, so police will take part in the “Follow That Van” initiative which will see officers on routine patrols following cash delivery vans as they travel through Cheshire, to ensure the safety of the crew. Officers in marked and unmarked police cars will also cover deliveries and collections of substantial amounts of cash, as they happen.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Shaw said,

On the run-up to Christmas there is a lot of commercial activity with the inevitable result that more cash than usual is on the move on the roads. We are simply stepping up the level of cover we provide. We adopted a similar policy last year and it was definitely a success. We know we disrupted a considerable amount of criminal activity and the sight of police officers provided some reassurance for the crews of the vehicles carrying cash.

The initiative is part of Cheshire Police’s “Do You Know Who You Are Dealing With?” campaign to tackle organised crime. The campaign encourages residents to think twice about those people in their community who might have links to serious and organised crime - the people who commit so called petty or victimless crimes which actually fund crime such as armed robbery or drug dealing.

During the campaign, residents are also being urged to report any suspicious or unusual activity around cash delivery vans to police. They are also being asked to call police if they hear of plans to attack these types of vans or know of anyone who is involved in this type of crime.

We are working hard behind the scenes to beat these criminals but fighting crime involves the whole community and we need your support. If you have any information about a robbery or about someone who has been involved in one, call us.

Report your suspicions, too. If you see a vehicle circling the car park of a supermarket or a shopping precinct three or four times and you begin to think a crime may be about to happen, ring the police.

In December last year a security guard delivering money to a cash machine in Winsford was violently attacked by a gang of four men, leaving him with permanent injuries to his hand. The following video includes an interview with Mark, who describes the events of that morning.

These robberies are not just a case of ‘get hit, claim on the insurance and everything is as good as new’. Victims are affected physically and emotionally and the repercussions can continue for months or years. These people who are threatened with baseball bats, knives and guns are members of our community and we all owe them some protection. The distress can extend to people who may be out shopping, perhaps with their children, and witness the violence which these robbers are prepared to use. Robberies are not commonplace in Cheshire and I don’t want to frighten people, but we all need to think about this type of crime and do what we can to prevent it.

To report cash delivery robberies in progress, dial 999. To provide information that can help prevent or solve a cash delivery robbery contact Cheshire Police on the non-emergency number 101 / 0845 458 0000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.