METAL thefts have been widely reported in the national and local press; however, our figures show that the problem is on the decrease in Wyre Forest in contrast to others areas of the country.

When a metal theft does happen, it can cause serious inconvenience. For example, the recent theft of £6 worth of copper piping from a travel agency in Kidderminster caused a flood which forced the agency to close for two days.

You will probably be aware that Wyre Forest’s MP, Mark Garnier, has become vice-chairman of a parliamentary group set up to combat metal theft. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Combating Metal Theft is intended to engage parliament in the scourge of metal theft. As the partnership has been working on tackling metal theft since June 2011, we thought it would be beneficial to meet up with Mark to let him know what actions the task group has put in place.

It was a good opportunity to give him the local perspective and we understand that he found the meeting helpful and informative.

We advised him about key operations that partners have been involved in, along with other actions that have been introduced which could assist in reducing metal thefts even further.

We also stressed that we are routinely analysing the number of metal thefts across Wyre Forest and acting to address any spikes or increases.

Additionally, Mark made us aware that the government has started the process of making scrap metal trading a cashless system. This means that payments will be made direct to bank accounts and as a result, the police will know the identity of sellers. This shows a high degree of resolve on the part of the government, as the constitutional implications of removing a section of our economy from using legal tender is very significant. If you have been out and about in Kidderminster, you may have noticed the ‘Love Your Home’ shop, which has been temporarily opened in the former Strings music store on Blackwell Street. The one-stop community shop is part of a police force-wide campaign running during February, called Love Your Neighbourhood. There are plenty of things people can do that don’t cost the earth and can really help to protect your home and valuables. On offer is a range of free advice from West Mercia Police and other organisations within the Community Safety Partnership.

There will be some freebies, leaflets and also advice about how you can security mark valuables and register them on the national property register, Immobilise. Information on recycling, fire protection, drugs and health matters will also be available.

If you have not yet had the chance, there is still time to visit the shop; it’s open until Saturday, February 25 from 10am – 5pm.

HELEN DYKE, Chairman, Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership