We are however in the meantime listing below various Constabulary media releases and reports on crime matters from other sources
ASSAULT AND ROBBERY - DUMFRIES
Police Scotland is seeking witnesses following the report of an assault and robbery in Dumfries at the weekend. Between 8 pm and 9.30 pm on Sunday 18th August, 2019 a 78 year old man and his 77 year old wife, were assaulted and robbed in their own home in Irongray Road in the town.
The 78 year old man was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary with significant injuries following the attack where he remains at this time in a stable condition. At this stage it is thought that two men and one woman were involved, and jewellery and cash with a value of over £60,000 were taken in the raid.
Detective Inspector Dean Little said "at this time police officers remain at the scene and we are carrying out door to door enquiries in the immediate area and gathering in CCTV. We are particularly keen to hear about any sightings of the following described two men and a woman.
The first man is described as being around 6ft 1 tall, average build wearing dark clothing. The second man is described as 5ft 9 tall, slim build and dark clothing. Both men spoke with Northern English accents. The woman is described as around 5 foot 2 tall, larger build, pale white skin, about 40 years old with dark brown shoulder length hair and spoke with a local accent.
"A team of detectives are now working on the case with a view of catching those responsible. We are asking anyone who lives or was in the area of Irongray Road, or the surrounding area to get in touch with us if they saw any of the people described. Likewise we would be keen to hear about any strange vehicles which might have been seen entering or leaving, or even parked up in the area of Irongray Road or surrounding streets on Sunday night.
I would be particularly keen to speak to anyone who traveled along Irongray Road or Newton Road between 8 PM - 10 PM and has dashcam footage. Callers can contact Police Scotland on the 101 number, and should quote the reference number 4234 of 18/8.
FIRE - HEATHHALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
At 01:55 AM on Saturday 17th August 2019, police officers discovered a building on fire within Heathhall Industrial estate. The fire subsequently spread to the adjacent premises and extensively damaged both, resulting in over £300,000 worth of damage.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and a fire investigation will take place in due course. In the meantime, we are asking anyone who was in the area shortly before 2AM on Saturday to think back and contact Police Scotland on 101 if they saw anything unusual in the area.
19.08.19
TOOL THEFTS - DUMFRIES
Officers are appealing for witnesses following a spate of tool thefts from vehicles in Dumfries.
Overnight Wednesday 14/Thursday 15 August 2019 a total of four vans were broken into and had tools stolen. One van, a white Renault works van parked at Pleasance Cottages on Annan Road had over £7000 worth of electrical tools stolen. Another van in Troqueer Road had a drill stolen, another in Gladstone Road had saws and breakers stolen while a fourth in Connolly Court also had a drill stolen. The value of the tools stolen is in excess of £10,000.
Two other vans, one in Eastfield Road and one in Rosefield Road were also entered however nothing appears to have been stolen from those ones.
Constable Bruce Wilson said "clearly with as many crimes happening over the one night we are looking at links between them all. The theft from Pleasance Cottages would have required a vehicle to carry all the tools off, and again it is likely that those involved in the other crimes were mobile.
We are carrying out extensive door to door enquiries and reviewing CCTV where available. Our plea to the public is for anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious in any of these areas overnight Wednesday/Thursday to please come forward with anything which might help. In one of the crimes, an alarm was activated on the van which was parked in Rosefield Road at around 12.30am on Thursday morning.
Do you live in that area and did you happen to look out to see what was going on? Have you seen any vehicles in your street which might have seemed out of place?
"We are also carrying out enquiries at places where the tools might be sold on. Have you been offered any electrical tools on the cheap? Again, please call us on the 101 number if you can help, quoting the reference 0569 15/9. Anyone who wishes to pass on any information and remain anonymous can call the Crimestoppers number on 0800 555 111."
SERIOUS ASSAULT - STRANRAER
Police in Stranraer are appealing for witnesses following a disturbance in George Street in the town.
Around 2 AM this morning (Friday 16th) a 25 year old man was allegedly assaulted by two males and subsequently taken to the Galloway Community Hospital with serious injuries.
Police are looking to identify anyone who was in George Street in the early hours of this morning and witnessed a disturbance in the street. Officers remain at the scene this morning and will be carrying our enquiries throughout the day.,
Anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident 0274 of 16th August.
16.08.19
VEHICLE THEFT - POLICE PURSUIT
About 4:50 PM on Monday 12th August 2019, officers from our roads policing team attempted to stop a Green Mini One on the outskirts of Dalbeattie.
The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The vehicle subsequently crashed in Bruce Road in Dalbeattie and the driver ran off from Police.
The vehicle was found to have been stolen from Dobbies Wynd in Dumfries earlier in the day.
We are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the vehicle pursuit or captured it on their dash cameras. We would also appreciate any premises on High Street, Craignair Street or Port Road who have external CCTV cameras that cover the roadway to contact Police Scotland. Anyone who can assist the police investigation should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 2882 of 12th August 2019
TOOL THEFTS - DUMFRIES
Sometime between 10 pm on Wednesday 14th and 6.30 am on Thursday 15th August 2019, a white Renault works van which was parked in Pleasance Cottages, Annan Road in Dumfries was broken into. A large quantity of electrical tools, including drills, screw guns, a grinder, nail guns, a chop saw, a jigsaw and batteries were stolen in the raid. The tools are Makita make and the value is in excess of £7000.
A second theft of tools from a van parked in Gladstone Road in the town has also been reported today.
Constable Bruce Wilson at Dumfries said "these thefts have cleaned the victims out of working tools. We are carrying out door to door enquiries in the locality and are asking anyone who may have been along Annan Road or in Gladstone Road over this period to get in touch if they saw or heard anything suspicious.
These tool would be heavy and it is likely that a vehicle may have been used to remove them from the area. Anyone with any information should call us at Dumfries on the 101 number and give the reference 0569 15/8." Anyone wishing to pass on information and remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN AT CARE HOME
Officers in Stranraer are investigating an attempted break-in at a care home in Fairhurst Road in the town.
Around 4:10 AM, this morning, a staff member observed a man looking in the windows of the care home, before he attempted to gain entry to the premises.
Constable Iain McEwan, based at Stranraer said "This was a frightening situation for the staff members on duty, who have quickly contacted police. Today we have been carrying out enquiries in and around the immediate area and are keen to identify a man described as 5ft 7-10, slim/medium build, wearing dark clothing with a light hooded top.
Anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 0444 of 15th August.
15.08.19
Dumfries break-in
We are investigating a high value break-in at a house in Dumfries. Sometime between Sunday 3 and Tuesday 13 August 2019 a house in Roberts Crescent in the town was broken into whilst the occupants were away. A large quantity of jewellery including necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and watches were stolen. The value of the property stolen is around £10,000.
Constable Rebecca McClung at Dumfries said "we are carrying out door to door enquiries in the immediate area as part of our investigations. We want to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the Roberts Crescent area over the past ten days or so. We are also asking if anyone has had any strangers call at their door for any reason, or has anyone seen anyone hanging around the area over this period. Callers with any information can call us on the 101 number and should quote the reference number 3288 13/8. Anyone who wishes to pass information on whilst remaining anonymous can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
14.08.19
ANNAN - TESCO BREAK-IN
Officers in Annan are investigating another break-in at the Tesco store in the town. Around 11.50pm last night, Monday 12 August 2019 officers attended an alarm activation and discovered the store broken into. At this stage is appears that cigarettes have been the target for the thieves.
Constable Garry Duguid at Annan said " This is the second break-in to this store in recent months. We have spoken to a number of people who were in the their vehicles in the Tesco car park around this time and are still keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the vicinity of the store late last night. In particular we want to speak to a man who is described as being about 5'8" in height and had a bald head who was seen in the area around this time. He was wearing a blue jumper and was seen on the Watchill Road. Anyone with any information which might help in this investigation is asked to call police on the 101 number, quoting the reference number 4874 12/8.
Anyone who wishes to pass on information and remain anonymous can do so through the Crimestoppers number, 0800 555 111."
13.08.19
BANKING PROTOCOL - SUCCESS
This week police responded to a 'Banking Protocol' telephone call in Dumfries and stopped an elderly man losing over £4000 to fraudsters. He had attempted to withdraw the money after fraudsters told him he had to pay a tax bill.
This is just one of many success stories and several innovative ways we are working to reduce fraud.
The banking protocol saw more than £7 million worth of fraudulent transactions prevented in Scotland between April 2018 – March 2019.
For more info, click below
ow.ly/5rIG50vrA8j
Break-in at Annan
Were you around the Bruce Street/North Street junction in Annan yesterday lunchtime/afternoon? Did you see anything suspicious, or anyone perhaps hanging around? We are making enquiries into a break-in which happened at a house near this junction. A wallet containing cash was stolen in the raid. If you can help please call us on the 101 number and quote the reference number 2554 7/8.
08.08.19
Police Scotland report that a 30 year old man from Dumfries has been arrested following the seach of a house in Lincluden in the town where a large number of cannabis plants were found. The value of the drugs seized is in excess of £40,000. A report is being prepared for the Procurator Fiscal.
07.08.19
Police Scotland can report that a 31 year old man from Castle Douglas has been arrested in connection with the report of a robbery at the ATM at the Co-op in Cotton Street, Castle Douglas on Tuesday 30 July 2019.
A report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal
01.08.19
Police Scotland are appealing for information following reports of suspicious activity during night-time hours at former Galloway Granite Works, Sorbie, Newton Stewart. Persons have been reported to be using grinding or cutting equipment at the site between 0030 and 0330 hours.
A dark coloured 4x4 vehicle with a big bore exhaust has been reported leaving the area towards Whauphill. It is possible that these individuals are targeting other sites across the region for scrap metal.
Anyone with information to identify those involved, please contact Police Scotland on 101 and quote PDG0168010719.
31.07.19
We are appealing for witnesses to a robbery which took place in Cotton Street in Castle Douglas last night. Around 10.40pm a 25 year old woman was at the ATM machine at the Coop in Cotton Street, when she was confronted by a man demanding money. The woman handed over a small amount of cash and the man made off from the scene, heading towards Wallace Court. The woman was not injured in this incident however was clearly shaken by what had occurred.
Detective Constable Thomas Dingwall of Galloway CID said "whilst this is a rare type of crime for Castle Douglas it is a worrying one. The man we want to speak to is described as being about 6'/6'2" tall, thin build, large head, small piercing eyes and pointed cheeks. He was wearing a grey hooded top with the hood up, black jogging bottoms and well worn white training shoes. Officers are carrying out door to door enquiries and reviewing CCTV in the immediate area. We would ask anyone who may recognise this somewhat distinctive description, or who may have seen this man to call us on the 101 number, quoting the reference 4819 30/7. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous when passing information to us can do so through Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111."
31.07.19
A golf buggy was taken from the golf club at Newton Stewart in the early hours of last Friday morning. It was driven around the golf course before ending up in the garden of a house in Millcroft Road. Male voices were heard in the area around 2am that morning. Anyone with any information about who might be responsible should call us on the 101 number and quote the reference PDG 0165590719
30.07.19
SUSPICIOUS FIRE - DUMFRIES SCHOOL
Officers in Dumfries are carrying out enquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage following a fire in the grounds of the North West Community Campus in Alloway Road in Dumfries.
In the early hours of Monday 22 July 2019 a fire was discovered at a wooden shed within the grounds of the campus. Fire and Rescue Service attended and extinguished the fire, by which time it has completely destroyed the shed. A nearby wooden structure has also been damaged and some metal cladding on the building itself has been damaged.
Constable Chris Kemp said "The fire was reported to us around 1.50 am this morning and we are treating it as suspicious. We are currently following a positive line of enquiry into the fire, which had it taken hold of the main building could have been catastrophic. We would like to hear from anyone who may have been in the vicinity of the North West Community campus either late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. Anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious, or who may have any information on the fire should call us on the 101 number and quote the reference 0269 22/7.
22.07.19
THEFT OF TOXIC CHEMICAL MATERIAL - ANNAN
Police Scotland is currently investigating a break-in to the MacFarlan Smith pharmaceutical manufacturing factory at Three Trees Road, Newbie, Annan.
Sometime in the early hours of Monday 8 July 2019 the security of the premises was compromised via the secure perimeter fence at the site. As a result, a warehouse was entered and a large quantity of a starting material used to manufacture pharmaceutical intermediates was stolen. The compound was contained in a brown coloured plastic keg, and weighs approximately 22 kilograms.
Detective Inspector Dean Little said “at this stage we are currently working closely with staff and security at MacFarlan Smith in order to establish the full circumstances surrounding this break-in. CCTV at the site and in private premises surrounding the site is currently being reviewed in this process, and a full door to door enquiry is underway. I am appealing to anyone who may have been in the area of the site late Sunday night or early Monday morning to get in touch with us if they saw or heard anything suspicious, or have any information which might assist in this enquiry. Callers can get in touch through the 101 number and should quote the reference number 2212 10/7. Anyone who wishes to pass on information anonymously can use the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.
“At this stage I would like to highlight to the person responsible for taking this compound to be aware that this is a toxic material and not to touch ingest or consider supplying the material to anyone else. Consumption of the material is likely to result in significant injury. I am keen to recover this material as soon as possible and would appeal to anyone who may know where it is to make contact with police as a matter of urgency.”
11.07.19
ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND VANDALISM -OPEN SPACES AND PARKS, DUMFRIES
Police are appealing for witnesses after a park bench was discovered damaged at Castledykes Park, Dumfries about 0830 hrs on the morning of 07 July 2019.
Additionally,over the weekend of 06/07 July a number of of reports were made to Police of groups of Youths causing a disturbance, loitering in parks and allegedly consuming alcohol.
This disruption and anti social behaviour has an affect on communities throughout Dumfries and those who attend our communal open spaces to enjoy them at all times of the year.
The alleged consumption of alcohol by Youths is also of concern.
Our joint summer patrols with Community’s Safety Officers, DG Youth Workers and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Officers will continue over the summer months to combat such behaviour.
We ask all parents consider the whereabouts of their children and what they may be up to when they disappear out the front door each evening.
09.07.19
RAM RAID - ATM TARGETTED
Officers in Langholm are carrying out enquiries into an attack on the Cooperative store in Glenesk Road, Townfoot Langholm, just after midnight this morning, Friday 5 July 2019,
Reports were made to police from members of the public following a number of loud bangs and screeching car tyres in the area of the Cooperative in Townfoot.
Officers attending discovered extensive damage to the premises. The front of the shop premises were smashed in and an attempt made to remove the ATM cash machine.
Detective Inspector William McDicken said "this has been a determined attempt to breach the security of the shop using a vehicle to smash through the front doors.
“Police are carrying out extensive enquiries in the town in an effort to identify any vehicles which may have been used in this crime. We are looking for what is probably a badly damaged 4 x 4 type vehicle and a second vehicle appears to have been at the scene at the time of this crime.
“I am thankful to those members of the public who called Police Scotland at the time the crime appeared to have been committed.
I would ask anyone to get in in touch if they saw any suspicious vehicles or people in the area of the Cooperative in Langholm especially after the store closed around 10pm on Thursday night, or indeed in the days leading up to this crime. I would particularly appeal to anyone who may have private CCTV, or a dashcam in their vehicle, to review it themselves, for any vehicles moving about the town, either late on Thursday evening, or early on Friday morning.
Anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant they might think it might be, should get in touch with us on the 101 number, quoting the reference number 0018 5/7.
Anyone who wishes to pass on information and remain anonymous can do so through Crimestoppers, on the 0800 555 111."
