BY the time you read this column, our Christmas crime awareness campaign - ‘Freeze Out Crime This Christmas’ will be well under way.

Posters will be displayed in the area and leaflets distributed locally, with seasonal crime prevention tips.

And if you tune in to Signal 107 radio station from November 26, you’ll be able to hear an advert reminding residents to keep their possessions and houses safe over the Christmas period (and afterwards, of course!).

In addition to this, You may think that the advice we give is common sense and quite obvious, which it is. But it’s amazing how many people leave their homes and cars vulnerable to thieves and not just at this time of year. Sometimes a reminder is all that is needed.

Love it or hate it, Christmas always means extra shopping and our towns will be getting much busier in the run-up to the big day.

Crowded areas can present an ideal opportunity for the purse thief, so please make sure your purse or wallet is secure and out of sight in a place a pick pocket would find difficult to reach.

With purse security in mind, we will be in the Swan Centre, Kidderminster on December 7 from 10am, giving away purse bells, which aim to alert you if your purse has been moved without your knowledge.

On a different note, we know that people are concerned about sales of alcohol to young people and how to report it.

If you are aware of a shop which is selling alcohol to young people and are not sure what to do about it, please contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 to report it, or e-mail Worcestershire Regulatory Services on report-it@worcsregservices.gov.uk.

In the October column, I talked about the White Ribbon Campaign, an international movement encouraging everyone (especially men and boys) to wear a White Ribbon and pledge never to remain commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.

The campaign runs from November 25 until December 10 and ribbons are now available from the Customer Service Centres. Donations are welcome and all monies raised will be donated to the Worcestershire Domestic Abuse Helpline 0800 980 3331 run by West Mercia Women’s Aid.

Visit whiteribboncampaign .co.uk/ to find out more about the White Ribbon Campaign or email the Community Safety Team community. safety@wyreforestdc.gov.uk.

HELEN DYKE Chairman Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership