1ST CLASSPROTECTIONNEWSLETTER

Your Security News, Information & Updates

A U T U M N 2 0 1 9   I S S U E N O . 7

W H A T ' S I NT H I S I S S U E

Hampstead crime- 1 Notting Hill carnival - 2 Airports update - 3 Keyless car theft - 4 Anti social behaviour - 5 Local News - 6

HAMPSTEAD CRIMEThis summer, Arsenal footballers Mesut Özil and SeadKolasinac were caught up in a London gang war, resulting inthem being kept under 24 hour security protection. Thesecurity threat was deemed so severe that they missed theiropening Premiership match fixture. A North London gang reportedly vowed to take 'everythingthey have' from the players, despite - or due to - warningsfrom a rival Eastern European mob that the pair are 'offlimits'.

CONTINUED...

CONTINUED...

"Private securityfirms areincreasingly beingcalled upon toprovideuniformed guardsand markedvehicles as a cleardeterrent and todivert thisworryingcriminal activity."

The gang feud began when the footballers weretargeted by car-jackers in north London on July25th. They were ambushed by robbers, as Özil lefthome in his Mercedes and wer subsequently chasedthrough north London at high-speed. The attackersreportedly threw roof tiles at the vehicle to try andbreak the rear window. Security camera footage showed Kolasinacconfronting the offenders as they approached thecar. Luckily, neither Özil nor Kolasinac, wereharmed in this incident. On the 8th August there was another worryingepisode leading to the arrest of two men outsideÖzil’s Hampstead home. This was said to havecontributed to the decision that they would not playin their club's first season fixture. This is just one recent, high profile example. But thecriminal threat to London’s wealthiest footballers isnow so serious that greater numbers of guard dogsand even military drivers  are being hired;footballers could also face new insurance clauses intheir contracts. And of course, the problem extendsto Hampstead residents, outside of the public eye. In areas like Hampstead Garden Suburb, homesecurity gates have had to be made higher and moresophisticated; CCTV cameras are also being madevisible on poles, gates and fences and privatesecurity firms are increasingly being called upon toprovide uniformed guards and marked vehicles as aclear deterrent and to divert this worrying criminalactivity from residents’ homes. In fact, we have seen a threefold increase inenquiries for residential security patrols over thepast 8 months in comparison to the same period lastyear. We urge our customers to take advantage of our‘Meet and Greet’ service to eliminate any fear ofreturning to your property and being mugged onyour driveway. Given 5-10 minutes' notice, yourguard will scan the area and escort you safely to andfrom your front door. It is always best to make useof every resource available to you.

“Year onyear, wehave seena 10%increase inburglariesduring thedarkermonths.” 

CONTINUED...

In our August 2018 newsletter we reported on thetrial of 3D scanners in airports which could not onlyincrease security but cut queuing time and eliminaterestrictions on carrying liquids on board. The technology, much like a CT scan, provides aclear image which can be zoomed in and rotated. Itcan also tell what liquid is contained in the luggage. In November 2006, a limit to how much liquid couldbe carried on a plane was introduced, as a result ofpolice foiling at least 10 plots to blow up planes, byway of utilising liquids carried on board. The Government has now said that all major UKairports must introduce 3D baggage scanningequipment by the end of 2022. 

AIRPORTS UPDATE

Over 350 people were arrested during the course ofthis year's Notting Hill carnival, which took placeacross the August Bank Holiday week end. Police were given special powers on the Monday,enabling them to enforce Stop and Searchprocedures, under Section 60 of the Criminal Justiceand Public Order Act. In real terms, this meant theywere able to search carnival-goers to look foroffensive weapons before they might be used, orlook for weapons used in a recent attack that mightbe carried by someone in the vicinity. Restrictions to Stop and Search were initiated in2014. Of the total number of crimes reported, the largestnumbers of offences were as follows: 37 x Assaults on police31 x Public order offences34 x Offensive weapons162 x Drugs offences 30 Met police officers also suffered minor injuries.

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

What Car? security experts recently performed anumber of tests, using the same specialisttechnology operated by thieves, to establish howlong it would take to steal a car with a keylessentry system.  Keyless entry systems enable cars to start if a fobis nearby. However, thieves using relay devices toboost the signal can trick the cars’ sensors intothinking the keyless fob is closer than it is,enabling them to open and start a vehicle evenwhen the fob remains in the owner’s house. What Car? measured the time it took to get intothe cars and drive them away. The image to theright shows some of their findings. Of 237 keyless cars tested, only seven were notsusceptible to being both unlocked and started.Only three models – all from Jaguar Land Rover –were completely secure during attempts tounlock or start their engines. The latest versionsof the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover, aswell as the Jaguar i-Pace, use technology that canmore accurately determine the distance from thecar. Car theft rates in England and Wales havereached an eight-year high. In 2018, more than106,000 vehicles were stolen.

KEYLESS CAR THEFT

HendonA man has been sentenced to more than tenyears in jail after raping a woman in Hendon.Abdullahi Mohammed was jailed at HarrowCrown Court on Monday, 19 August. Mohammed pleaded guilty of all offences at anearlier hearing in February. Central LondonOn August 22nd, a 66-year-old pedestrian waspronounced dead at the scene after being hitby a £250,000 Rolls Royce near BuckinghamPalace. The man was knocked down by a Qatari-registered Rolls Royce Wraith, as he crossedthe road at Hyde Park Corner. The driverinvolved in the collision stopped and noarrests were made.

LOCAL NEWS

Anti-social behaviour can be a huge concernand source of stress for residents in any area.Increased violence and criminal damage areoften closely followed in a neighbourhoodwhere anti-social behaviour is rife. If your area is prone to anti-social behaviour,you can now report it online. The Met Policehave set up an onine tool to make it easy to doso. Just follow the link below:

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

REPORT ASB