Three arrested

A total of three men were arrested in Liskeard on Tuesday after one of them was seen outside a bank in possession of what was thought to be a rifle.

Police officers kept a look out on a house the man had entered following a call from a member of the public worried by the sight of the gun. The officers carried out a search of the three men after they left the house, and one was said to have been found in possession of an air rifle. The men were also thought to be wanted on suspicion of burglary.

Attempted indecent assault on woman

CID officers in Liskeard are appealing for information following an attempted sexual assault in the town in the early hours of February 27.

The attack, on a woman who was visiting the area, took place between 1.30-3am. It occurred after she was dropped off at Addington Post Office by minicab after going to the Carlton Suite. Police say the woman knew her friend lived nearby, but was unsure of exactly where. When a man approached her and told her that he knew where the address was, she followed him. He took her through Higher Lux Street, then turned left past the church and left into Lake Lane. At the end of the cul de sac he steered her underneath Charter Way and attempted to indecently assault her on a piece of waste land.

The woman fought back, and ran off across Charter Way and up a steep bank, where she alerted people to what had happened. Police say that the man is a white male, 5'4" tall, of medium build, with short brown hair, and in his early 20s. He was possibly wearing brown jeans and a creamy/beige fleecy top with a round neck and possibly a white teeshirt underneath. He had a soft voice with a Cornish accent.

CID officers would like to hear from anyone who saw him during the evening, alone or with the woman, who is in her mid 20s with black wavy, collar length hair with a dyed blonde streak at the front. She is of Anglo/Asian origin and was wearing black trousers and a sheepskin jacket. Anyone who can help should telephone Liskeard CID on 0990 777 444 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Unsolicited first aid kits

Householders are being warned by the Office of Fair Trading to be wary of first aid kits which are being sent through the post.

The OFT has received dozens of complaints from people who have received a particular first aid kit being sold by an overseas company. In many cases the £23 kits have arrived out of the blue, in others they have followed a telephone call purporting to be from a charity or research company. Some complainants were told that some of the proceeds from the sale would go to charities such as the Red Cross.

John Bridgeman, director general of fair trading, said: 'If you haven't requested a kit or have refused the offer of one then you are within your legal rights to keep it without payment if, 30 days after you have told the company that you do not want it, they have not collected it and you have not prevented them from doing so. Do not be bullied by demands for payment, or threats of interest charges for delayed payments. If these are made for unsolicited goods, the company is in breach of the law.'

Threats to hurt himself

Police in Liskeard were called to a property in Liskeard at llpm on February 26 after a l9-year-old man broke a window, and then threatened to cut himself with the glass.

Police say the man started throwing glass into the street, and was taken away by officers, without a struggle, after trying to injure himself. He was treated at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, where his injuries were said not to be life-threatening.

Warning after con men visit

Police in Liskeard are warning householders, particularly the elderly, to be on the guard against con men who charge exorbitant amounts for gardening work.

The warning follows an incident in Liskeard in which an elderly man was charged around £200 for about 30 minutes work cutting a hedge. Two men called on the resident on Sunday morning and offered to do work in the garden - after which they asked for extra money on top of the price already agreed. They eventually said they would work in the back garden instead for an overall fee of around £200, but disappeared as soon as they were given the money.

PC Mark Fahy urged all householders to ensure that if work on their home is carried out then the workmen involved are checked out, a price is agreed initially and the money is not paid until the job is finished. He asked anyone visited by the two men in question, or with information about them, to contact him at Liskeard police station by telephoning 0990 777 444.

Crash on the A38

An accident involving three vehicles occurred on the A38 near Saltash on Monday morning.

The accident, at Stoketon Cross, led to two westbound lanes being blocked around 8.15am. No-one was injured in the crash.

Alcohol now in the drug team's remit

Inspector John Parlour has announced that the Cornwall drug action team has recently agreed to include alcohol in their remit.

Speaking at a police liaison meeting in Liskeard he said that many areas of criminal activity in Caradon could be linked to drug and alcohol abuse.

The meeting was told that the Devon and Cornwall police authority had been successful in a bid for funding of drug arrest referral schemes, based on the six custody centres around the force. Such schemes are aimed at prisoners who are in custody for volume crime, and who are believed to be repeatedly offending to fund their drug habits. The intention is that they will be referred to a suitable multi-agency scheme with a view to weaning them off the drug habit. Funding of £395,000, payable over two years has been granted.

Crime figures were given for October to December l999. Compared with the same period in l998 the district had doubled arrests regarding drug offences. Nine drug warrants had been successfully executed since December last year.

The meeting also heard that there was no roadside testing device for drivers under the influence of drugs, but there is a growing awareness of the influence of drugs, both illicit and prescribed, on the concentration of drivers.

Inspector Parlour said that in Saltash youth issues were of prime concern, while in Liskeard the town council, the Chamber of Commerce and the police had been involved in trials of a project specifically looking at problems associated with policing in the town centre. In Torpoint car crime was the target of the vehicle crime action group. Theft of vehicles showed an increase in Liskeard, Saltash and Torpoint, but an evening of concentrated criminal damage to cars in Crafthole had led to an increase in such figures. It was noted that Morval was experiencing particular problems with abandoned vehicles. Police were aware of the issue of speeding and racing motorcycles on the main road between Torpoint and Trerulefoot. Mobile speed cameras had been deployed with positive results in areas near Torpoint, Antony, Callington, Kelly Bray and Saltash.

Burglary was also showing a rise in Torpoint, Saltash and Liskeard - but analysis of such crimes showed that opportunist thieves carried out a half of the burglaries to dwelling houses, and lack of good home security was a contributing factor. Assaults in public places showed an overall decline in the district, although domestic violence was a key concern.