A new Dog Watch scheme has been set up by Wiltshire Police to help reassure owners around the safety of their pet, driven by their Community Messaging service.
Paul Lenaerts our Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator said “It seems likely that there are lots of dog owners in Keevil who would be interested. To sign up, you first need to join Community Messaging, then choose the Dog Watch scheme from the list of Community Interests. You can also select the NHW – Keevil NHW is an approved scheme.”
If you are already signed up to Community Messaging, you just need to log in and opt-in to receive Dog Watch information – go to “Edit your details” and then “Community Interests” (in the menu on the left) and tick the box for Dog Watch.
Wiltshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Debs Smith said: “As a dog owner myself, I appreciate the concern and worry owners have around dog thefts. Despite there being no reported cases of thefts here in Wiltshire so far this year I can understand why the perception is worse than the real picture.
“We are currently investigating reports of a handful of attempted dog thefts as well as being made aware, via social media, of some suspicious activity by some individuals around dogs. We do take this type of crime seriously and want to be proactive in helping dog owners protect their much loved pets – and so I welcome the setting up of Dog Watch.
“This scheme has two major benefits: it helps with the sharing of information amongst a dog loving community and also helps us, the police, build up an intelligence picture of potential issues in a particular area.
“Please note though, you should still report any attempted thefts via 101 or our website.
“While we don’t want people to panic or worry unnecessarily, we would continue to remind everyone to be vigilant when out walking their dogs and to ensure their animals are locked inside or kept in safe and secure kennels overnight.”
KEEVIL VILLAGE 