Thanks to Jackie Griffin for alerting the
webmaster and board of
this situation and drafting a portion of this letter.
ALERT to ALL RESIDENTS IN THE Wiltshire at OXFORD COMMUNITY
There have
been several instances of criminal activity in our development recently.
There were a few incidents in February of this year that seemed isolated with
items being stolen out of unlocked cars. On Saturday June 16, 2007 there was
another serious incident in our development. A car was stolen right from a
drive way on Slate Hill Drive in the middle of the night. The police have
tried to pursue the earlier incidents, but they have not had any confirmed
leads. They suspect the actions are by individuals outside the community.
The Board was not made aware of the incident until June 22nd, and
then only third hand. The Board did confirm the incident with the State
Police. After the previous incidents in February, the Board sent out
notification via the website and to those on the email list. We encourage all
who have email to sign up as this is the quickest way for the Board to
communicate with the community. We are trying to come up with better ways to
get the word out.
Overall we
believe this community is safe, but we all need to be more aware of our
surroundings. Our development is not the only one in Southern Chester County
with these types of problems. You just have to read the paper each week (ex.
A truck was stolen during the same weekend in Little Elk Creek) to see that
it’s all around us. We need to act swiftly to ensure that everyone is
aware of the activity and community becomes safer.
We all
need to try to be more proactive and take the necessary steps to help fight
our neighborhood crime problem. You need to call the Avondale Police at
610-268-2022 when anything suspicious occurs. It does not matter what time of
the day or night it is. This number is manned 24 hours a day. Call when you
see it happening, do not wait until morning. This is the only way they can
try and catch the perpetrators in the act. Of course, if it is a life
threatening situation call 911.
Some
additional steps to think about are:
o
Lock Your Car at Night -
The
assailants have had a pattern of rummaging through unlocked cars looking to
take loose change and anything else quick to grab like a laptop, credit card,
keys, or a garage door opener.
o
Lock Your House –
To our
knowledge, the assailants have not yet entered a home. Please make sure that
your doors and windows are locked when you are home and in the back of the
house or outside, at night as well as when you are not home.
o
Watch Over Each Others Homes and Property –
Most times
an assailant will wait for an opportunity when a person is not at home or
asleep (12 AM to 4 AM) to make a move on their property. Let your neighbors
know when you will be out of town so they can help to keep an eye on your
property.
o
Report Any and All Suspicious Activity to the Police and to
the Homeowners Association –
These two
entities need to be informed and work together toward keeping Wiltshire
protected. Make sure all incidents are reported and
investigated. Presently the Board is hearing about these events days and in
some cases weeks later and only third or fourth hand.
o
Talk to Each Other About What is Going On –
It’s
important to spread the word, but the Police should be notified first followed
by the Homeowner’s Association.
o
Get in Contact
with Our Representatives in
East
Nottingham
Township
– The only way to get our tax dollars working and to get the help we need is
to call, write, and talk to these individuals.
o
Neighborhood
Watch
– With the police department of Oxford Borough not allowed to come into our
development, we are patrolled by the State Police. The State Police barracks
is on Route 41and they cover the area from Chadds Ford to
Nottingham
which goes as far north as East Marlborough. Please let the Homeowner’s
Association Board know if you are interested in participating in a
Neighborhood watch Program. It can only be successful if we have a vigilant
community to step up and volunteer.
It takes awareness and
vigilance on everyone’s part to protect the community. Please do your part to
protect yourselves and look out after your neighbors. The Board welcomes any
assistance from the community in how to best address this issue and how to
keep everyone informed in a timely manner. Please remember to contact the
police if you see anything suspicious at 610-268-2022.
If you know of any recent
activity or have any suggestions please contact the Board through the Web site
www.wiltshireatoxford.com or feel free to contact CCR Management
610-363-1322 for assistance.
On behalf of the Wiltshire
at Oxford Homeowner’s Association Board we thank you for your attention.
Lynley Thinnes, Anthony
Lopresti, and Fred VanBergen
