Local businesses join forces with Police in personal property protection initiative

In 2013 Plympton Neighbourhood Policing team, of Devon and Cornwall Police, secured funding from the Little Acorns Project, for the purchase of purse bells, an anti theft device to protect property from being stolen or tampered with.

The purse bells, which clip onto a purse, wallet or bag, have proven to be a successful deterrent against thieves, and have also previously been used by teams at West Yorkshire Police.

Plympton Neighbourhood Team hope to gift the bells to victims of crime, elderly and vulnerable individuals within the community, have also teamed up with local taxi service PlymCabs, who sponsored a further purchase of another 1000 purse bells to disseminate amongst their clients.

PlymCabs have also donated several hundred to the Neighbourhood Team, to ensure as many vulnerable members of the community as possible can be equipped with the simple device.

Other local businesses and initiatives, including Western Power Distribution and Plymouth against Retail Crime (PARC), have also provided further funding, to enable the Plympton Neighbourhood Team to continue their great work, funding 100 personal attack alarms.

PCSO Elaine Hesketh and PCSO Lee Edmunds said: "The purse bells have been a fantastic initiative, giving some of the most vulnerable members of our community in Plympton some peace of mind.

"It’s been very positive to have the support of several local businesses in sharing the purse bells and we are keen to build on this success in the future."