SOUTHPORT COMMUNITY DAY

SOUTHPORT'S Neighbourhood Police team will be out in their mobile Police Station on Saturday, 1 May 2010, on the Ocean Plaza Car Park, Marine Drive, Southport.

As part of this crime prevention initiative, PCSO’s from Southport and officers from the Special Constabulary are encouraging people to bring along their mobile phones to the mobile police station between 10am and 2pm for registering them for free with immobilise.com. The property-registering scheme encourages members of the public to register their mobiles on the National Mobile Database, making property less attractive to thieves.

Inspector Tony Jones said:- “The team are out and about on Saturday, and want to talk to residents, visitors and shoppers in Southport about any local issues or concerns that they may have. We will be providing information on what we have been doing in the local area, talking to people to find out what they want us to do next and also giving crime prevention advice on keeping property and mobile phones safe. We are committed to policing the local community in a way that reduces crime and makes everyone feel safer. We are keen to work together with residents and local businesses to identify solutions to any local issues of concern and make the Southport neighbourhood a safe place to live, work and visit.”

To register your phone you need you need the IMEI number. This can be found in the box that it came in, on your contract, on a label usually located behind the battery or key in *#06#. You should always keep a written copy of your IMEI number, as the police will need this if you have to report your phone as stolen.

Once registered the phone will be recorded on the national Immobilise mobile phone database making them easier to identify when recovered if lost or stolen. Once registered officers can speedily check a phones history.

If you have information about stolen mobile phone offences call Police on:- 0151 709 6010 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

To help keep your mobile safe, use the following advice

Always:-

► Obtain your phone's IMEI number by typing ►#06# (star hash 06 hash) into your mobile phone. This will display a 15 digit number which can help Police trace your phone should it ever get lost or stolen.

► Keep your phone out of sight in your pocket or handbag when not in use

► Use your phone's security lock code, if it has one

► Record details of your electronic serial number (ESN) and consider separate insurance

► Property mark your phone (using a UV marker pen) with your postcode and door number to help police identify stolen mobile phones

► Report a lost or stolen phone to the police immediately, providing the IMEI number at the time of making the report.

► Inform your service provider if your phone is stolen or lost

► Take the time to register your phone on the National Mobile Phone Database, so that if your phone is lost or stolen, it can be immediately identified if it is found or if someone is found in possession of it'

Don't...

► Attract attention to your phone when you are carrying or using it in the street

► Leave your phone in an unattended car - if you must, lock it out of sight. It only takes seconds for a thief to smash a window and steal your phone.

WITNESS APPEAL - ROBBERY, BARGAIN BOOZE, WEST DERBY VILLAGE

MERSEYSIDE Police Detectives are now appealing for witnesses following a robbery at an off-licence in West Derby Village on Friday, 23 April 2010...  Officers were called after a man entered Bargain Booze shortly after 10am and verbally threatened the 67 year old female shop worker before demanding money from the safe.  When she explained that should could not access the safe, the offender stole a small amount of cash from the counter and left the shop.   The shop worker was left shaken but unhurt following the incident.  The offender is described as being around 5ft tall, of stocky build and wearing a grey woolen hat which was pulled down to just above his eyes.   Detective Constable Lynsay Armbruster of St Anne Street robbery team, said:- "West Derby Village would have been busy with shoppers at that time of the morning and I am confident that someone will have seen the offender leaving the Bargain Booze. He was wearing a grey woolen hat on a warm, spring day and may have seemed in a hurry. If anyone spotted anything unusual like this I would urge them to get in touch."   Call St Anne Street CID on:- 0151 777 4811 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

SHOTS FIRED - LONGFELLOW STREET

MERSEYSIDE Police have confirmed that officers are investigating reports of shots being fired in Toxteth on Sunday, 25 April 2010.  Officers were called to Longfellow Street at around 11.50pm, after residents heard a number of loud bangs.   There are no reports of anyone being injured but the area has been cordoned off for forensic examination and search.   Longfellow Street and Lodge Lane have been closed whilst examinations are on-going and motorists are advised to avoid the area.  Merseyside Police would urge anyone who witnessed this incident or who has any information to contact:- 0151 777 5699 or Crimestoppers anonymously on:- 0800 555 111.

FINAL CALL FOR PASSENGERS DOUGLAS, DOUGLAS AND DOUGLAS

EASYJET, the UK’s largest airline, has embarked on a search to find Merseyside’s finest Douglas to celebrate its new route from Liverpool to the Isle of Man.

On Friday, 21 May 2010, the low-fares airline begins daily flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to the Isle of Man and in honour of the island’s famous capital city, Douglas, it is searching for a Liverpool local who can live up to the name and become the ‘face’ of the new route. To be in with an opportunity to bag the job and scoop a weekend for two on the island you simply need to be aged 18 or over and have the first name or surname Douglas. The judges will be looking for an enthusiastic and charismatic individual who will bring the airline’s ‘orange spirit’ to the Isle of Man.

The five most promising Douglas’s will be paraded in front of passengers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Friday, 21 May 2010, so members of the public can vote for their favourite. The Douglas’s will then board easyJet’s inaugural flight to the Isle of Man where, on arrival, the islanders will also get to have their say before the overall winner is announced.  All five finalists will receive a free weekend for two on the Isle of Man courtesy of easyJet and the winner will receive a year’s worth of free flights to their namesake.   Ali Gayward, easyJet commercial manager comments:- “I would urge anyone with the name Douglas on their passport to apply for the chance to become the face of our new route. As well as the potential kudos of being Merseyside’s favourite Douglas, the finalists will also have the chance to experience one of the UK’s most unspoilt holiday spots with the overall winner bagging a year’s worth of free flights to the island to enjoy its miles of sandy beaches, breathtaking scenery and relaxed way of life.”

People with the first name or surname Douglas who are interested in becoming the face of easyJet’s new route to the Isle of Man should email by Friday, 7 May 2010 and explain why they are fit for the job. Entrants must be aged 18 or over and be available to fly to the Isle of Man on Friday, 21 May 2010 (returning Sunday, 23 May 2010).