Picture the typical cat and mouse scenario, the sneaky cat carefully chooses his pray and approaches with a lucrative plan. In sight of his poor victim, he slowly moves in, determined not to make a noise nor disturb his surroundings, he quickly takes a pounce. Too Late! the clever mouse recognises the sound of his bell and scurries away , once again the mouse has been saved by the bell!
More commonly used as a cat collar bell to alert the owner or pray as to the cat's presence, Stockton's Community Safety team and Police Crime Reduction are enthusiastically adopting the same approach to the community by introducing novel, yet very effective purse bells. Tackling robbery remains a featured crime within the partnership and robbery in Stockton from recent figures has actually reduced by 7.6% remaining at a constant low.
Determined to prevent elderly residents from becoming victims of crime, positive steps have been taken to clamp down on potential bag and purse theft. The bells when attached to purses or handbags will act as a deterrent to thieves by alerting the owner and anybody nearby when the item is disturbed. It will also remind the owner that the purse is in a secure place and owners will associate the ring of the bell with the potential to have their possessions stolen or that the purse is in an insecure place and therefore, will think about the precautions when leaving the house and hopefully, place the items somewhere safe in the bottom of a zipped bag, out of sight.
The purse bells along with associated advice will be distributed to the over 60's at the annual bus pass event working through the entire borough. For more information regarding purse bells please contact the Community Safety Team on: 01642 527616